Hostile Territory
by Okami1
Summary: The Autobots and DecepticonsPredacons have battled for eons, neither one willing to lose. Can a human change the tide? And if so, for which side? (RID fanfic)(In-progress) Chapter 23 up!
1. Despair

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 1: Despair

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~

All your insults and your curses 

Make me feel like I'm not a person  
And I feel like I am nothing 

But you made me so do something

Lyrics: For You_Staind

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: 

****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

* * - Indicates a comlink conversation

P.S.- This is a side fanfic so please don't get upset if it takes awhile for me to load another chapter. Enjoy and send in reviews, both good and bad. (I always like critics who give _constructive _criticism) J 

******

The sun shone brightly down upon the land, brightening up the once shadowed desert. Cactuses grew from the rocky ground, gathering any liquid available to them. Tiny spiders and scorpions scampered among rocks and brush, avoiding the rays of the relentless sun.

X-Brawn sighed contently as the desert scenery passed him by. Being an Autobot took a lot out of the robot and sometimes he needed to get away from it all and enjoy himself, which is exactly what he planned to do. 

~~~

Kelly hummed along with a song on the radio, glad to be getting away from civilization for a while. She was especially glad to get away from a particular blue sports car that seemed to have a serious mental problem. _I wonder why that weird guy keeps talking to my sports car anyway_, she wondered. _Well, I don't need to worry about that right now since I'm not driving it._ Turning up the volume to the radio, Kelly put some more pressure on the gas and continued on her peaceful drive; not really going anywhere in particular.

******

Skybyte chuckled to himself as he observed the factory below him. He crouched upon a large cliff overlooking an oil plant, a perfect place to gather energy for Gigatron. The oil plant seemed to sit on a stairway of stone. First was the cliff Skybyte was crouched on, below that was the oil plant, then there was another cliff.

"Yes. I will steal all the energy from this puny plant and then Gigatron will have to like me more than that _Decepticon_ Scourge," the Predacon said aloud, grinning broadly.

"Uh…Skybyte? Who are you talking to?" Slapper asked, interrupting his commander's thoughts. 

The Predacon leader seemed flustered for a moment before scolding Slapper, threatening to fire upon the latter if he asked any more stupid questions. 

"All right, you all know the plan. Now, attack!" Skybyte ordered, jumping from the cliff and nearly tumbled down towards the oil plant. 

DarkScream, Slapper, and GasSkunk looked at each other with confused expressions and sweat drops. 

"What plan?" they asked each other. 

GasSkunk shrugged and ran down the cliff side, his two companions trailing after him in their robot modes as well. 

******

"Optimus! The Predacons are attacking an oil plant near Houston, Texas!" Tai's high-pitched voice echoed through the Autobot headquarters' corridors.

"Send the Autobot brothers; I'll join them as soon as I can," Prime commanded, turning from Teletran 1's main computer to take the spacebridge.

"Right. Autobot headquarters calling Autobot brothers, come in Autobot brothers. We have a battle protocol. Predacons are attacking an oil plant in Houston, Texas," the hologram called, pulling up the three Autobot's faces on a view screen.

"Ah, come on Tai. Can't someone else rasle them Preds this just once," the eldest Autobot brother complained, not pleased with having to fight on his 'vacation'. 

"It is our responsibility to protect the humans and stop Gigatron from gathering energy," Prowl's tenor voice stated. "Therefore it is also our duty to do anything in our power to-"

"All right! All right! I'll meet you guys there! Just quite your yakin'," X-Brawn interrupted quickly, sighing mentally at his brother's police talk. Dropping Kelly off at a nearby trading post, he hastily sped off towards the Houston oil factory.

******

Smoke from burning buildings billowed into the air, blocking the sun and its light from the factory. Fire licked the large containers of oil, threatening to ignite the contents of the precise cylinders. 

A rather large man covered his face with his sleeve as he ran, coughing violently from the smoke in his throat. He ran, or rather waddled, away from his office and the giant robots attacking it. Spotting a familiar dark green haired teenager, his brow furrowed in disgust.

"This is all your fault!" the man bellowed, raising a chunky fist at the girl. "You are always bringing me bad luck!"

The teenage girl of about 17 glared at the man, her ice-purple eyes flashing with anger. "This is not my fault and you know it!" she yelled back, dodging some falling pieces of metal. "You always blame me for everything that goes wrong!"

"That's because everything that is wrong deals with you!" the man countered, pausing to cough into his sleeve.

The female clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. "That's it! I've had with you and your attitude problem!" she roared. "You may be my uncle but that doesn't mean I have to take this from you!"

"If you leave now then consider yourself no longer a part of my family!" the man screamed.

"Good! I never liked your family anyway!" The girl turned on her heel and dashed away from her uncle and out of the burning plant. 

"Wha-wait! Don't leave me! Alana!" He started after his niece when one of the oil barrels near him exploded, knocking him unconscious. When he regained consciousness, Alana was no where to be seen. _Good riddance_, he thought bitterly to himself. _She was a pain in my ass ever since she arrived on my doorstep._

******

X-Brawn followed the coordinates given to him by Tai and soon came upon a burning factory. Three Predacons could be seen from outside the perimeter gates gathering oil barrels to power their base.

"This place is hotter than a bar-be-q in summer time," he said aloud to himself. "X-Brawn transform!" He dashed for the Preds with his gun drawn, shouting in the process,

"Halt varmints! Unhand those barrels of oil!"

The Predacons looked up, startled, and almost dropped a few oil canisters. Upon seeing only one Autobot standing in their way, grins spread across their robotic faces. 

"Right Laser!" Slapper cried, tensing his right arm as the laser beam erupted from his shoulder.

"Left Laser!" GasSkunk hollered, follow Slapper only with his left arm.

"Center Laser!" DarkScream shouted, puffing out his chest to accentuate the blast.

X-Brawn attempted to dodge the blasts but received a blow to his chest plate by two of the attacks. He grunted, stumbled, then fired his own attack. 

Unfortunately, he was off by a micrometer and ignited five oil barrels. The shock wave knocked all robots into the air and almost off the cliff beside the oil plant. 

"Nice shot," DarkScream commented smugly, rising to his feet. 

"You're almost as good as us," Slapper added, looking at the burning factory. 

"Re-reach f-for the sk-sky," X-Brawn gasped, clutching an open wound on his arm. He attempted to raise his weapon for an attack, but the injury to his arm sparked and crackled, making his gun inaccessible.

Well, well. What have we here?" Skybyte snickered, flying over from the other side of the plant. Landing in front of a kneeling X-Brawn, he smirked down at the injured Autobot. 

__

Come on guys, X-Brawn pleaded silently. _Where are you?_

"Say bye-bye X-Brawn," the Predacon second in command snickered, stepping back to join his comrades.

"Right Laser!"

"Center Laser!"

"Left Laser!"

"Tsunami Blaster!"

X-Brawn watched with wide optics as the four attacks flew at him. His energon level was nearly depleted and his circuits refused to respond, leaving him no choice but to take the blow head on. He cried out in pain as one of the lasers bit into his injured arm, slicing already tender circuits. The attack sent the Autobot flying backwards and over the cliff. The last thing X-Brawn remembered before going off line was a falling sensation then being plunged into ice-cold water. 


	2. Brotherly Bond

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 2- Brotherly Bond

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~

When something is lost, something else replaces it

The memory of your parting smile gives me strength to live  
A message from you

Surely we will meet again  
And from a distance will recognize each other in a glance

Lyrics: Yubiwa- Yuuho Iwasato

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

"**NOOO!**" Prowl and Sideburn screamed in unison as they watched their older brother take the assault. They had just emerged from the Global SpaceBridge when the Predacons let loose their attacks. The two siblings watched helplessly as the force of the impact sent the eldest Autobot brother flying through the air and over the cliff, down into the ragging river below. 

"You will pay for that," Sideburn growled through clenched teeth. Powering up his gun, he fired upon the Predacons with full force.

Prowl and Sideburn took on the four enemy robots by themselves, driving their actions. By the time Optimus Prime emerged from the Global SpaceBridge the two remaining Autobot brothers stood watching the limping Predacons retreat back to base. 

~~~

"X-Brawn! Can you hear me! Where are you?" Prowl called urgently, leaning over the cliff, searching earnestly for his friend and sibling. The only thing visible was a rapidly flowing river, rushing over rocks and crashing into the cliff wall. 

"I don't see him anywhere," Sideburn mumbled, looking down-river in hopes of seeing his brother. 

Optimus stood silently behind his comrades, not sure of the right thing to say. Regrets plagued his mind as the Autobot leader thought about his failure as a commander: Why hadn't he been there sooner? Why didn't he send someone else since X-Brawn was taking a much-needed break from fighting? What kind of a leader would send a member of his team into battle against four Predacons, alone, with no backup standing by? 

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not notice Prowl and Sideburn skidding down the cliff side. Their shouting and calling did eventually snap him out of the trance so he joined in the search, yelling from atop the cliff and looking down river for any sign of the eldest Autobot brother, but to no avail.

******

X-Brawn snapped back online as he felt his metal frame hitting something large and hard, then being swept away by a rough current. He fought the pull of the water, wrestled with sharp rocks protruding from the rapids, and resisted the urge to go offline once more; all with an injured arm hanging limply by his side. 

The eldest Autobot brother tried with all the energon left in him to swim to shore, but the vicious waves bore down upon him and swept his further down stream, away from land. X-Brawn half-listened to the constant roaring in his audio receptors, again fighting the urge to go offline. The sound persisted burrowed into his mind, nagging at something. _I've heard that before. But where…_ X-Brawn trailed off as the nagging sensation revealed a memory—of a waterfall.

"Waterfall?!" he cried, turning his body so he was facing down river. The water splashed and crashed for a little further down then disappeared over the horizon.

X-Brawn clawed frantically at the water with his one good arm, grabbing at any rocks or tree branches for support, but eventually ended up heading for the waterfall. The roaring grew louder and he knew his time was almost up, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. Using his towline, the Autobot roped a nearby tree and began pulling himself to shore. He was merely inches from the sandy shore when his support line pulled up from the roots and crashed into him, sending him reeling backwards.

"Well, I guess this is it," he muttered, letting the current pull him towards his end. "So long little brothers. I'll miss ya." X-Brawn powered down for the last time as he felt his heavy frame following the rushing water over the cliff and down into the mist below. 

******

Tai hovered over the computer keyboard, hurriedly pressing buttons and glancing at the main screen. 

"Can't you go any faster?" Sideburn asked impatiently, stopping his pacing for a moment.

The hologram spared him a quick glare before returning her attention to the task before her, locating X-Brawn. "I'm working at fast as I can," she replied calmly, a hint of frustration in her tone. 

"Just calm down you two," Optimus suggested, watching Prowl join his brother in pacing the length of the room. 

A circle of glowing light appeared at the end of a long tunnel, grabbing the attention of the Autobot leader. He let out a heavy sigh when Team Bullet Train emerged from the Global SpaceBridge, transforming into their robot mode as they approached their commander.

"What's goin' on with them?" RapidRun asked, thumbing towards the still pacing Sideburn and Prowl. The two Autobot brothers had not skipped a beat in their striding to acknowledge their teammates. 

"Well-" Tai began but was cut off by a frantic, "TAI!"

"All right, all right," she grumbled, returning to her search before Sideburn blew a fuse.

"X-Brawn is missing," Optimus explained. "Tai is working hard at trying to locate him, but…" he trailed off, glancing at the main screen.

"You haven't had any luck," RailSpike finished, his optics dimming in sadness. 

"That's just terrible. I wish we could do something," Midnight Express mumbled, shacking his head. 

__

*So long little brothers. I'll miss ya.* 

Prowl and Sideburn lurched to a halt, their optics focusing on the floor before locking with each other. 

Did you hear…" Prowl began.

"X-Brawn," Sideburn mumbled, glancing at the main screen. "Brother…"

Fluid leaked from their optics, trickling down their faceplates. The two brothers stood in shock as they somehow heard X-Brawn's voice in their minds, saying goodbye. 

"Skybyte," Sideburn growled, clenching his fists. "You're going to pay dearly for this."

"This is unacceptable," Prowl snarled as fluid continued to flow down his faceplate. "They must be punished to the fullest extent of the law." His optics flashed a bright gold as he thought of how to dispose of the Predacons responsible to X-Brawn's demise. 


	3. Alone

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 3- Alone

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~

I can't sleep beneath the trees of wisdom

When your ax has cut the roots that feed them

Forked tongues in bitter mouths

Can drive a man to bleed from inside out

Lyrics: What If_Creed

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: 

****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

The Build Team hauled load after heavy load of earth, in the midst of construction another passage for the Global SpaceBridge. Wedge, the team's leader, pulled back from his position and sighed heavily. 

"Is something wrong Wedge?" HeavyLoad's voice asked. The yellow dump-truck backed up next to his leader, worry clearly in his tone.

"Huh? No, nothing's wrong. I just need a break," Wedge replied. 

"Are you sure you're all right? You've never needed a break before," Grimlock put in, stopping his digging. 

"Look, really I'm fi-"

A soft voice echoed down the tunnel, cutting off the Autobot's protest. 

__

Win dain a lotica

En vai tu ri

Si lo ta

Silence fell upon the stunned Build Team. 

"Did…did anyone else hear that?" HeavyLoad asked quietly.

"Yeah," the others replied just as quietly.

"Oh man, I hope this won't turn out like that other tunnel we were digging in," Wedge whined, transforming into robot mode. His troops followed suit soon after, finding it uncomfortable to be in their vehicle moods after hearing the strange soprano voice.

"What other tunnel?" Hightower asked, scratching the side of his head in confusion.

"You know, the one where we all looked like Predacons to each other," Grimlock replied, gently knocking his teammate upside the head. 

"Hey! I remember all ready!" the crane Autobot protested, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head.

__

Fin dein a loluca

En dragu a sei lain

Va fa-ra les shutai am

En riga lint

"There it is again!" Wedge cried, whirling around to face the section of the tunnel they had all ready completed. To his great dismay, nothing unusual appeared before him, just rocks and earth.

"Maybe we should return to base," Hightower suggested, not wanting to take any chances of repeating their earlier hallucinations. 

"No. We were given the order to expand the SpaceBridge and that's what we're going to do," Wedge replied confidently, turning back around to face his comrades. "Are we going to let some singing voice scare us away from our mission?"

"No sir!" the three Autobot builders cried.

"Then lets finish this tunnel!"

"Yes sir!" Together, the Build Team completed the new tunnel in record time, all secretly fearing to hear the voice once more.

******

Alana sniffled as she stumbled through the forest, away from her uncle and the only family she had ever known. Her parents had died thirteen years ago, when she was merely five, and left her with her uncle. The man was rude, mean, and cruel to the child; she was forced to act as a slave in her own home. 

Her ice-purple eyes stung with tears as she remembered sleeping in the stables with straw as her only bed and cover. It was not as bad as one might think, for she had the horses and the dogs to keep her company. The animals were always kind to her, giving her warmth in the winter months, even though it never got that cold, and wet kisses when she was upset. 

A tree branch seemed to appear out of nowhere, scrapping against the unexpected teenagers face, leaving a bloody scratch across her cheek. 

"Oh, damn," she hissed, wiping at the blood. The sound of a river reached her ears a few moments later, so she decided to clean away the grim before the injury became infected. The last thing she wanted was to need medical attention, considering the fact that she was in the middle of a forest with no humans around for miles.

The water was cool and refreshing, easing the inflammation on her cheek. It also soothed her parched throat and filled her belly. She sighed happily and laid down on the grassy shore, staring up at the large, green trees, simply listening to the birds sing and river babble.

Alana closed her eyes and let herself relax, falling into a light sleep. She did not know how long she slept but when her eyes reopened the stars shone dimly in the dusky sky. Her stomach rumbled for food, but since the teenager did not have anything to eat handy, she ignored the growls and made a small fire. The fire blazed brightly in the dark forest, giving the girl a sense of protection and warmth. 

A sparkle of light shimmered from down the shore. Alana gazed cautiously at the light then noticed the fire was reflecting off of something metallic. Carefully grabbing a stick, she lit the end of it and picked her way towards the metal thing. She gasped and took an involuntary step back, staring up at the mangled form of a robot.

Shadows fell across the large transformer, illuminating places while at the same time darkening others. Dull sparks crackled in various places, giving the impression of a warrior with many recent battle scars. Scorch marks and dents were common on the robot's metal frame, along with open gashes oozing some sort of gel. 

Alana stared open mouthed at the large creature, not quite sure what to make of it. The robot sort of reminded her of the others that had attacked her uncle's oil refinery, but those had similar features to animals; this one resembled a vehicle. She nearly jumped out her skin when the thing groaned, twitching a few times before laying still. 

Watching the robot with sharp senses, she crept up to it. Pulling a stray lock of her long, forest green hair behind her ears, Alana observed the massive damaged wires and metal. Her heart ached for the poor robot; she had always had a soft spot for the injured or underdog. Whenever an animal was injured, she would do her best to tend to it; and she felt no different towards this creature. 

The teenager carefully gathered the extra firewood she had gathered, and made a new camp closer to the robot. Thankfully, the fire helped to illuminate the large metal creature, making 'repairs' easier. 

Wires crackled and sparked in the human's face, creating dark smudges all over her countenance. She continued to reconnect the severed wires and circuits to the best of her abilities, very glad to have taken classes on mechanical repairs. The worst area was the left arm where a large gash had been opened by an unfamiliar piece of metal. Sacrificing her only pair of jeans, Alana used the fabric for the legs to create a makeshift bandage for the robot; giving herself a pair of frayed shorts. 

Finally, when the moon was high in the night sky, the female retreated from her working space to examine her progress. To her dismay, there were various other sparks flashing on the transformer's belly.

She laughed nervously. "I don't think so. I don't want that thing waking up with me crawling under it," she mumbled. Since she had no sleeping bag or any kind of bed, the human curled up on the ground near the robot; its sheer size gave her a sense of security. 


	4. A New Friend

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 4 – A New Friend

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Who's got my back now?

When all we have left is deceptive

So disconnected

So what is the truth now?

Lyrics: Who's Got My Back Now_Creed

~

****

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: 

****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

"Did you succeed in gathering the necessary amount of energy?" Gigatron questioned, staring down at his second in command. 

Skybyte laughed nervously but stared his leader in the optics. "Well, not exactly. You see we were attacked by the Autobots before we could acquire the energy. But we did manage to destroy one of the Autobot brothers," he added quickly. 

Gigatron stared at his second in command as if the latter had just grown three heads. Regaining his composure, the Predacon leader cleared his throat and replied,

"Excellent work Skybyte-"

The shark threw Scourge a victorious sneer.

"-Now show me his remains."

Scourge's optics flared a bright red in satisfaction.

"His…his remains, sire?" the Predacon shark squeaked. "He, uh, fell into a ravine, so…I…uh, assumed the Autobot ceased functioning."

"You assumed? I want you to go back to that factory, find that Autobot, and bring back his head as proof of your accomplishment!" Gigatron ordered sharply.

"But, I-"

"Don't but me! Get going!"

"Y-Yes Gigatron," Skybyte replied, rising from his kneeling position. 

~~~

Skybyte stomped through the halls of the Predacon base, energy pulsing rapidly in his circuits. He could not believe that he had to return to the oil plant and search for the head of an Autobot, one that he had seen die with his own two optics. Spotting the three other Predacons, he immediately recruited them for the assignment. 

DarkScream, Slapper, and GasSkunk complained loudly about having to return to the plant. Despite their whining and complaints, they followed Skybyte to the factory in search of the eldest Autobot brother.

******

X-Brawn groaned softly as his pitiful amount of energon flowed through damaged circuits. He powered up as best he could and looked through blurry optics at his surroundings. _Anyone get the number of that stampede?_ he thought to himself, trying to lift his head from the sandy ground. With his stomach in the sand and his legs half buried in the water, X-Brawn propped himself up on his elbows and looked around.

The sun shone brightly through the thick trees, birds whistled their lovely tunes, and tiny fish nipped teasingly at the Autobot's feet. A soft moan from the ground brought X-Brawn out of his peaceful daze. He looked down by his elbow and was surprised to see a young human curled up on the ground, her forest green hair billowing out behind her. She turned over so that she was now facing him, but did not wake. 

"Tai, this is X-Brawn, can you hear me?" he called, attempting to use his comlink. Unfortunately, all he received was static and a jolt from the frayed wires. _Guess not_, he chuckled to himself. Remembering his injured arm, the Autobot lifted it to examine the damages. To his great surprise he found two pieces of dark blue fabric tied around the open gash, each one already soaked with leaking energon fluid.

A startled gasp brought him once again out of his trance, and he looked down at the thought-to-be-sleeping human, only now she was fully awake and staring wide-eyed up at him. 

"Well howdy little lady," X-Brawn greeted. He gritted his teeth while attempting to ease into a sitting position. The Autobot managed to turn himself around and sit, with his legs spread out in front of him, facing the girl who had now moved _waaay_ out of arms reach. A smile would have spread across his face except that he had a faceplate covering the mouth area. 

X-Brawn, after some quick assessments of the female, noticed that her shorts were unusually frayed and a little uneven. He also observed a scratch across her cheek; the skin around the area appeared red and sore.

"Did you patch this up?" he asked gently, pointing to the wound on his arm. 

The human stared at him suspiciously for a few moments before nodding slowly. 

"Well, thank you. I'm X-Brawn; I'm an Autobot."

"I'm Alana," the teenager replied softly. Her brow furrowed slightly. "What's an Autobot?" she asked.

X-Brawn chuckled. "An Autobot is a robot from the planet Cybertron. We protect the humans and fight the Predacons, whose goal is to drain this planet of all its resources," he answered. 

Alana, feeling a bit more comfortable, edged her way closer to the giant robot, but managed to keep herself far enough away in case she had to escape for any reason. The two carried on a very informative conversation, each one giving facts about themselves and receiving information from the other in return. 

X-Brawn shook his head. "I can't believe anyone would do that ta their own kin. That's just downright disgraceful."

"Well, fighting evil robots from outer space doesn't seem like a fun filled life either," Alana chuckled. 

"I guess not," the Autobot replied, his optics laughing silently. 

Silence passed between the two for a while, neither one sure of what to say. 

"Could you by any chance do somethin' for me?" X-Brawn asked slowly.

Alana looked at him cautiously. "Like what?" she said finally. 

"Well, I need to contact my friends to tell them where I am, but my comlink's busted. Could you by any chance fix it?"

"Me?" Alana squeaked, blinking at the robot. "But, I don't know that much about circuits and stuff like that. I probably did only more damage by trying to fix the other stuff."

X-Brawn waved it away. "Don't sweat it. Besides, I'm already in bad shape. I don't think you could make it any worse."

About an hour later he regretted ever saying that. When the human said she might make things worse, she sure as heck was not kidding. It felt like every circuit was pumping rocks through his system and energon was replaced with mud.

"I'm so sorry," the teenager apologize for the millionth time, her face darkened with sadness. "I can never do anything right," she muttered to herself. 

"Don't fret little lady," X-Brawn soothed, gritting his teeth against the sparks that flew from various joints. "You tried your best. That's all anyone can ask for."

Alana nodded silently, her head eyes gazing at the stone beneath her feet.


	5. Sweet Revenge

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 5 – Sweet Revenge

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~

She came calling

One early morning

She showed her crown of thorns

She whispered softly

To tell a story

About how she had been wronged

As she lay lifeless

He stole her innocence

And this is how she carried on

Lyrics: Wash Away Those Years_Creed

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

"Optimus! I've spotted the Predacons. They're back at the oil factory in Houston," Tai informed the Autobot leader. 

"Send the Spychangers to their coordinates. Inform them not to attack unless fired upon; just observe them for now," Prime responded quickly. "Oh, and Tai?"

"Yes Optimus?"

"I think it would be wise not to tell Prowl and Sideburn about this."

Tai's holographic imaged nodded, her violet eyes lowering. "I'll update the Spychangers on their mission agenda immediately."

"Right. Keep me informed," Prime added, turning to exit the room. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he did not notice Sideburn disappear down the hall. 

~~~

"Prowl, I know where the Predacons are," Sideburn whispered to his elder sibling. The two were now in their private quarters so as not to be overheard by wandering audio receptors. "They went back to the oil plant in Texas."

Prowl nodded slowly, still unable to grip the idea that there were only two Autobot brothers and not three, as there had been for so long. His optics flared a bright gold as he recalled the events of yesterday.

"Well, what are sitting around here for? It's time to bring those murders to justice. I'm going to throw the book at them!" he growled, standing up from his recharge bed. He soon found Sideburn by his side, his own optics flaring brightly as well. 

"Let's kick some Predacon tailpipes!" the blue Autobot shouted, raising his hand in front of him. The two brothers clasped hands for a moment, both with blazing optics, before setting out to avenge the death of their elder-most sibling. 

******

DarkScream flew up and down the ravine for the hundredth time, without anymore luck than the many times before. Reporting his success to Skybyte, he was ordered to search it again, only this time go further down the cavern. The Predacon muttered to himself as he obeyed the orders given to him. He searched with mild interest, pretty sure of himself that the Autobot was offline…permanently.

A flash of light caught his optics near the river shore, so he swooped in lower for a closer look. What he saw made his spark skip a beat for a moment. _He's functioning!_ the Predacon cried to himself, sharply turning away from the Autobot and back towards his comrades. 

__

*DarkScream to Skybyte, the Autobot is online and functioning.* The Predacon squirrel reported to his commander.

__

*Well take care of it!* Skybyte's voice boomed in his audio receptors, causing the flying squirrel to fall from the sky for a moment before regaining his composure. 

__

*No way. If he can survive that than I'm not fighting him alone.* DarkScream stated defiantly. 

__

*Fine. Relay your coordinates and we'll join you shortly.* Skybyte grumbled. Turning to his teammates, he updated them on the problem then led the way to DarkScream, eager to finish what he started.

******

"All right Spychangers, you know what to do," HotShot stated, continuing to gaze in the direction of the Predacons. 

"Yes sir," the five Autobots replied, transforming into vehicle mode. HotShot followed suit then switched on his clocking ability, making him appear invisible; his teammates did the same. The Spychangers silently pursued the flying Predacons, confidant in their mission to find X-Brawn. They did not, however, take into account the two vengeful Autobot brothers stalking their own prey.

******

X-Brawn glanced around the forest and shore, observing nature's unique beauty. His human companion busied herself with breakfast, which the Autobot did not need, and made no attempts at starting up another conversation; so X-Brawn made no move to start one. He simply leaned on his uninjured arm and gazed at the tall, green trees, the occasional critter that came by to gawk at the large robot, and listen to the rushing water of the river behind him. 

The Autobot powered down his optics in contentment, enjoying the relaxed feeling of being away from enemies and not worrying about a battle. His thoughts drifted to his younger siblings, oh how he longed to see them. It had not even been an entire day since his accident and he already missed their faces. 

A strange sound filtered into his thoughts, disturbing X-Brawn's daydream. He powered up his optics and looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary; the noise was growing steadily louder. Turning around as much as his battered body would allow, the eldest Autobot glanced across the river, only to see nothing. He strained to see into sky, his midsection protesting heavily against the position, but he managed to catch a quick glimpse of four black dots in the bright morning sky.

"Primus," he whispered, optics growing wide. 

"What's wrong?" Alana asked, worry clearly audible in her tone. She had watched silently as the robot twisted and glanced around, only to quietly mumble a word of distress. When X-Brawn's golden optics locked with her ice-purple irises, she knew something was wrong. 

"I-I need to c-contact the others," the Autobot stuttered, attempting to stand. Wires sparkled and cracked against the strain, but he managed to get to his feet, using a nearby oak for support. Glancing down at the human by his feet, X-Brawn told her to run and hide.

Alana stared hard at X-Brawn, her eyes flashing. "I'm not leaving," she said, determination in her voice. 

The Autobot brother would have persisted again but it was already too late, the Predacons landed on the opposite shore. He attempted to lift his gun only to have it nearly snap out of its socket. 

"What's the matter Autobot? Can't lift your weapon?" GasSkunk snickered.

"Here, let me help," Slapper offered. Using his long tongue, the robot toad grabbed the large gun and easily yanked it from X-Brawn's weak grasp. 


	6. Actions From The Heart

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 6- Actions From The Heart

__

~

You don't need to bother

I don't need to breathe

I'll keep slipping further

Once I hold on,

I won't let go till it bleeds

Lyrics: Bother_Corey Taylor

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Sideburn watched patiently as the Predacons landed on the shore, directly in front of him. He used the brush to hide his vehicle mode while his other sibling circled around to the side, planning on ambushing the enemy robots. Listening intently to the Predacons, he silently wondered whom they were taunting, not that it made much difference as long as he could avenge his eldest brother's death. 

The sound of an engine revving gave the blue Autobot the signal to attack. Transforming quickly, he darted from his cover and attacked the first Pred in sight, which just happened to be DarkScream.

~~~

Prowl pressed down heavily on the gas, giving Sideburn the signal to engage in battle. He transformed as well and fired his attack on Slapper, knocking the unsuspecting Predacon into the rushing water. Not even savoring the victory, he turned to GasSkunk, optics glowing brightly. 

"You are under arrest Predacon, for the murder of my brother," he growled, lifting his gun for another attack. 

"Wait! He's still alive!" GasSkunk protested. "Look, there he is!" The skunk pointed across the river frantically, hoping to spare himself some abuse. 

"I don't think so Predacon," Prowl spat, taking aim. "You're crimes will be punished." Anymore protests fell upon deaf ears as the middle Autobot brother fired his attack at the robot skunk, sending him flying over the trees and far into the forest.

~~~

Sideburn followed his brother's example and sent DarkScream flying through the air, then turned his attention to Skybyte. 

"You will pay for what you did to my brother," he growled, pointing his weapon in the Predacon's direction. 

Skybyte looked shocked for a moment, looking behind him then back at Sideburn. "But…he's…right over there."

"Don't play tricks on me Predacon."

The youngest Autobot brother let loose his attack and was greatly surprised when the shark managed to dodge it. Sideburn watched with boiling fuel as his enemy landed on the opposite shore, grinning victoriously. 

"Not one step Autobots or this time I really _will_ kill your brother," Skybyte sneered, lifting his clawed arm out behind him. He placed a foot on X-Brawn's gun and crushed in two, rendering it useless for the time being.

"What are you talking about?" Prowl growled, stepping up beside Sideburn. 

Skybyte laughed. "Haven't you noticed yet? Just take a look for yourselves," the shark chuckled, stepping to the side slightly while keeping his claw aimed at an unseen source. 

To the Autobot brother's great disbelief, behind Skybyte leaned the battered frame of their eldest sibling. X-Brawn's gun lay in pieces under the shark's foot so he was totally defenseless against any attacks, plus his low energon level added to his dilemma. 

"One wrong move and I'll rip a hole through your chest-plate," Skybyte snickered to the injured Autobot. 

X-Brawn heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his head, no longer able to keep it up. It was then that he noticed Alana standing slightly behind his leg, glowering up at Skybyte. 

"Now, don't do anything foolish," he said quietly.

"What was that?" Skybyte questioned, glancing towards his prisoner. Upon seeing the latter staring at the ground, the Predacon followed X-Brawn's gaze and was surprised to see a human hiding behind the injured robot's leg. "What have we here? A helpless human cowering behind an Autobot?" the shark sneered. 

Alana glared at Skybyte. "I'm not a helpless human you bucket of bolts. And I'm not cowering," she growled, stepping out into full view. "Leave X-Brawn alone. He's injured and has no weapon, there is no honor in fighting him this way."

Skybyte blinked down at the bold human who dared to say such things to him. "Leave him alone? I think not, he is my enemy and I must destroy him," he chuckled. "Now, step out of the way."

The human narrowed her eyes and stepped directly in front of the Autobot, her arms outstretched. "You'll have to go through me." _Why am I doing this?_ her mind screamed. _This isn't my fight, so why am I becoming involved? _

Because he is in need of your help, a gentle alto voice answered. _It is your nature to protect those who can not defend themselves; therefore you must protect him._

The Predacon second-in-command growled softly at the stubborn human. Part of him wanted to blast away the pestering Earthling, but another part did not wish to harm the compassionate female. Skybyte scolded the softer side of him that hated taking innocent human lives; he was Predacon after all and they were ruthless beings who lived to serve Gigatron, and do as he wished. 

While Skybyte argued with himself over what to do, Prowl and Sideburn slowly edged their way closer with the Spychangers circling around from the other side, trapping the Predacon in a ring of Autobots. Before the Autobot brothers could distract Skybyte long enough for the Spychangers to secure X-Brawn, the human jumped up and grabbed one of the claws pointed at her, clinging with all her might.

"Get out of here!" she yelled at X-Brawn.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Sideburn cried out, surprised at the female's actions. 

"I won't sit by and watch anyone else die! Now go!" Alana screamed, hanging on with all her might while Skybyte frantically slashed his hand through the air. 

X-Brawn attempted to take a step towards the shark but was pulled back by Ironhide and Mirage. The two Spychangers guided him carefully away from the shore and towards the Global SpaceBridge. The eldest Autobot brother tried to refuse being led but was too weak to resist, so he merely cast Alana a worried glance before disappearing into the glowing tunnel. 

Alana, seeing that X-Brawn was out of harms way, let go and fell to the ground. A sickening crack sounded as her hand was brought out to catch her falling body, but could not support that much weight and snapped under the strain. She lay on the flat of her back, clutching her aching wrist to her chest, and stared up at the angered face of Skybyte. 

"Not another step Predacon," HotShot smirked, uncloaking himself. His team members did the same and Skybyte soon found himself surrounded by Autobots.

"I…uh…please don't hurt me!" he begged, collapsing onto all fours. 

"You're pathetic," Prowl growled, stepping fully onto the sandy shore.

"So pathetic you're not even worth our revenge, so scram!" Sideburn shouted, firing at the kneeling shark. After the Predacon had retreated by swimming through the air, the blue sports car Autobot walked over the huddled human. 

Are you all right?" HotShot asked, crouching beside Alana. 

"That was very brave of you," Rev commented, resting his gun on his shoulder. 

"If you don't mind my asking, why did you stand up to Skybyte?" Sideburn asked, suddenly curious.

Alana looked up into his crimson optics. Something flickered in her ice-purple irises but vanished quickly. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked calmly, her tone becoming chilled. 

The blue Autobot looked shocked. "No!" he replied quickly. 

"We're very grateful to you for saving our brother, we were just wondering why?" Prowl responded. 

The teenager stood up stiffly, refusing any help. "Please forgive me if anything I have done has caused you to become suspicious of me. I was merely helping someone in need, that is all," she replied, tone as cold as ice.

No Autobot dared to follow the human as she slowly disappeared into the forest. They looked at each other in confusion, not sure how to react. 

"Was it something I said?" Sideburn asked, casting Prowl a questioning glance.

"Shouldn't someone go after her?" Crosswise asked, looking in the direction of the recently departed teenager. 

"Not now, we have more important matters to deal with," Prowl answered. "We should return to base and check X-Brawn's status." 

"Agreed," HotShot nodded. "Then we can figure out how to deal with the human, if anything needs to be dealt with."


	7. Many Questions, Few Answers

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 7- Many Questions, Few Answers

__

~

When I see you now I wonder how I could've watched you walk away If I let you down Please forgive me now For that beautiful goodbye 

Lyrics: Beautiful Goodbye_Amanda Marshall

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: 

****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

"Okay, let me see if I got this straight," Tai sighed, clearing her throat. "A human girl stood up to Skybyte in order to save X-Brawn, but when questioned why she got annoyed and left."

"Yup. That's about it," Sideburn agreed. "I really don't know what her problem was."

Optimus Prime stood beside Tai and scanned the troops before him, not quite sure how to deal with the situation. The story told to him was a little hard, yet some points might in fact be very truthful. He remembered the first time he and Koji met. The young boy had accused the Autobot of being the same as the Predacons then risked his life distracting Gigatron upon realizing otherwise. Maybe something similar was happening with the female, but then again…

"Did anyone try to talk with her after she left?" Prime asked, uncrossing his arms. 

His troops looked nervously at the floor. 

"Uh…no, not really," Sideburn replied hesitantly.

"You either did or you didn't," Tai responded, floating closer to the group of Autobots.

"We didn't want to pursue the human because we thought she would take an offensive attitude towards us," Prowl answered, looking up from the floor. 

Optimus Prime sighed inwardly. He could not scold his troops for not following, since he himself would not have wanted to, but he really wished to know more about the human and her actions. 

"How is X-Brawn?" Prowl asked, turning the attention away from Alana for the moment. 

Tai's hologram smiled up at him. "He's recharging as we speak. His circuits and wiring took heavy damage, but they repaired with minor problems; as well as his outer covering." She added as a side thought, "You can visit him in recovery if you like."

Prowl waited patiently to be dismissed but his younger sibling had no such discipline; Sideburn was already burning rubber through headquarters corridors towards the recovery rooms.

******

X-Brawn slowly powered up his optics, careful not to look at the bright lights shining down at him from the ceiling. His entire frame felt like lead, stiff and heavy, yet he still managed to sit up. Swinging his legs over the recharge bed, he rubbed a sore spot on his head. 

"Hey bro! How are ya feeling?" Sideburn nearly hollered.

"Gezz! I'm right here, ya don't need ta yell. I can hear ya just fine," X-Brawn groaned, trying to ease his ever-growing headache. 

"Oh, sorry dude," Sideburn whispered, covering his mouth component with both hands. 

"How are you feeling X-Brawn?" Prowl asked, taking a position next to his younger sibling. He looked down at his older brother's frame and could not help but feel his spark tighten in relief; for a while he had thought X-Brawn was dead. 

"I feel like was run over by a herd of stampeding buffalo," the eldest Autobot brother replied truthfully. "But I feel better than I did the other day." As if struck by a sudden thought, he twisted his head around the room, like he was searching for something. 

"What's wrong?" Prowl questioned, looking around the room as well. 

X-Brawn scratched his head in thought. "Have you guys seen a young lady anywheres?"

Prowl and Sideburn looked at each other for a moment before glancing hesitantly at their older brother.

"Did she have dark green hair and purple eyes?" Sideburn asked, trying to think back to what the human actually looked like.

"Yeah, that's her," X-Brawn nodded. 

"She, uh, is back where we found you," Prowl replied after clearing away the sudden lump in his throat. 

"You left her alone with the Preds!" the eldest sibling shouted, shooting up into a sitting position.

"No! No, we sent those losers running before we left. She got ticked when we asked her why she protected you then walked off. Really! I swear," Sideburn explained, pushing his older brother gently back down onto the recharge bed.

"I wonder what set her off?" X-Brawn thought out loud. 

Prowl and Sideburn shrugged. The three fell into an uneasy silence, one which no one was willing to break. 

******

HeavyLoad lugged what felt like a ton of stones away from the new expansion to the SpaceBridge. He dumped the load and returned to his fellow builders, all hard at work to complete their assignment. 

"Optimus sure wants a lot of expansions doesn't he," Wedge commented, pushing aside a pile of earth. 

"You can say that again," Grimlock agreed, beginning to dig further under ground. 

"Do you think he wants us busy with digging so that we won't be able to fight?" Hightower inquired.

"I hope not," Wedge responded. "We're valuable fighters; we can combine into Landfill."

The Build Team fell into a thoughtful silence, each wondering if Hightower was right.

__

Win dain a lotica

En vai tu ri

Si lo ta

"Please tell me you guys heard that?" Wedge squeaked. 

"Uh huh," his comrades replied. 

The soft soprano voice echoed through the newly constructed tunnel once more. 

__

Fin dein a loluca

En dragu a sei lain

Va fa-ra les shutai am

En riga lint

"This is getting too weird," HeavyLoad complained, transforming into robot mode. 

The rest of Build Team transformed as well, hoping to find the source of the strange voice. To their great dismay, no one but them occupied the underground tunnels. 

"All right guys, this has to stop," Wedge said confidently, turning to face his troops. 

"And how are we going to do that?" Grimlock asked, after a moment's silence.

Wedge locked optics with his tall, green teammate. "I'm still working on that part," he explained, rubbing the back of his head. 

HeavyLoad, Grimlock and Hightower dropped to the floor anime style, with one leg twitching in the air. 


	8. Human Shield

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 8- Human Shield

__

~

'Cause I loved and lost the day I let you go

I really want to hear you say  
That you know just how it feels  
To have it all and let it slip away  
Can't you see  
I know the moment's gone  
I'm still holding on somehow  
Wishing I could change the way the world goes round

Lyrics: Changes_Unknown

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

"All right team, let's beat these guys at their own game," RailSpike ordered, returning fire at the small group of Predacons. 

"Roger that," Midnight cheerfully acknowledged, firing his attack at DarkScream.

"Yeah, it's time to show these guys whose the best," RapidRun said happily, leaning out from behind his shelter and putting up his barrier, blocking all attacks aimed at him. 

"Nice job," RailSpike commented, bombarding the four Predacons with a shower of missile from his arms. 

~~~

Slapper fired his right laser at RapidRun, only to have it bounce off the latter's shield. He was cursing silently at their inability to defeat the Autobots when a sudden flash of movement caught his eye. Turning towards the rock formations beside him, the Predacon noticed a very familiar human. A smirk broadened his face as the robotic toad wrapped his tongue around the unsuspecting female's waist and arms. He sucked in the extra long tongue and held the human before him as a deterrent for the Autobots. 

"Ith you thoot I'll kill thith umen," Slapper declared.

"What did you say? I can't understand you," Midnight called out. 

"I thaid-" the Predacon was about to continue, but decided to hold the human in his hands instead of his tongue while talking. "I said, 'If you shoot I'll kill this human'." 

The rest of the Predacons were surprised at the brilliance of the idea and watched gleefully at the three bullet trains lowered their weapons. 

~~~

Alana gasped in surprise when something long and wet wrapped around her waist, pinning down her arms in the process, then proceed to drag her through the air towards a large robot. She groaned outwardly when the realization that her only outfit was now soaked in slobber hit her.

"This is disgusting," she whined, completely repulsed by the idea of being covered in spit. 

"Pipe down human," DarkScream smirked. 

"Yeah, hush up," GasSkunk added. He was about to let loose his gas attack when a circle of light appeared on the ground in front of the bullet trains. Three cars instantly flew from the light and transformed into robots. 

"Prowl transform!"

"Sideburn transform!"

"X-Brawn transform!"

"No! You mustn't attack!" RailSpike cried, lunging in the direction of the Autobot brothers.

"Why not?" Sideburn questioned, lifting his weapon at the Predacons.

"They have a human hostage," RapidRun explained. 

The three Autobot brothers turned to look for themselves and were shocked to see a very familiar human in the clutches of the enemy. Alana's jaw was clenched shut, her teeth grinding against each other, as one of Slapper's fingers pressed against her still fractured wrist, sending pain flashes through her arm. 

"Alana? What in tar-nation are you doing here?" X-Brawn asked, lowering his gun so as to pose no threat to his enemies. 

"Hey. Fancy meetin' you here," the human grunted, trying to ignore the pain shooting throughout her body.

"Let her go Predacons. She has nothing to do with this. This is between Autobots and Predacons. Let the girl go," Prowl said, attempting to use reason as a means of releasing the hostage. 

"You'd like that wouldn't you," Slapper snickered. "Well, how about this," he grinned and proceeded to squeeze the fragile life form between his two webbed hands. 

The pain soon became too much, and Alana let out a pain-filled scream. She tried to block away the agony but when the Predacon increased the pressure of his grip, it was all she could do to keep from loosing consciousness. 

"Stop it!" RailSpike shouted, gritting his teeth at the scene before him. The sound of the human screaming sent chills through his frame, and he was sure it did the same thing to the other Autobots. 

Sideburn clenched his fists tightly, getting increasingly pissed at not being able to do anything to help the suffering human. He would have interfered already but Prowl had urged him against it, so he just stood by and watched the Predacons torture a defenseless Earthling.

"Right Shoulder Thrust!"

Slapper lost his balance as Wedge landed a blow to his mid-back, forcing him to release Alana if he was to keep standing; he was unable to stay on his feet, however, and soon found his face full of dirt. 

Alana flew from Slapper's hands and landed hard on the ground, her head impacting first. She bounced limply then rolled a few times before coming to rest on her side; her body not moving a muscle. 

Wedge towered over the fallen Predacon. "That's for picking on humans," he growled, looking up into the faces of the other Autobots. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's kick some Predacon tailpipe!"

"You said it," X-Brawn agreed, letting loose a bombardment of laser blasts at GasSkunk. 

The Predacons screamed in terror as they were bombarded by attacks from Team Bullet Train, the Autobot brothers, and the Build Team. They quickly realized their disadvantage and retreated. 

"And don't come back!" HeavyLoad shouted after the retreating forms of the enemy.

"It's a good thing we were nearby," Wedge said, a hint of smugness in his tone. "Is the human all right?"

X-Brawn was already by her side, turning her gingerly on her back. He noticed that blood was trickling from her nose and a stream of crimson fluid flowed from a place in her cut on her forehead. 

"Should we take her back to base?" Sideburn suggested.

"In normal circumstances I would say no, but I think an exception is in order in this case," Prowl replied. 

The eldest Autobot brother carefully cradled the human's limp body in his hands as he stood up. He cautiously transformed into his vehicle mode so that Alana lay in the back seat, cushioned by the foam padding. 

"Prowl calling Optimus, we have an emergency. Please respond."

__

*Optimus here. What's the problem?* the Autobot leader's face appeared in the police car's screen.

"A human was badly injured by the Predacons and she needs medical attention immediately. We're bringing her to base," Prowl replied, hoping Optimus would not disagree with his decision. 

Optimus Prime debated shortly about the idea but relented, his urge to help the humans overriding any other thought. 

"We'll be arriving shortly," Sideburn added. "Have Tai standing by."

__

*Roger that Sideburn,* Tai's voice replied, her own image appearing in the blue Autobot's view screen. _*Awaiting your arrival.*_

Within a matter of minutes, the Autobot team, excluding the Build team who returned to their tunnel digging assignment, arrived at headquarters. X-Brawn transformed quickly and held Alana carefully so as not to damage any of her injuries further. He reluctantly laid her on a small table in the medical bay and left, leaving Tai alone with the human. 

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Koji asked Tai.

The hologram female thought for a moment before a smile spread across her lips. "Well, since you probably know more about the human body than I do, yes, you may help."

"All right!" Koji cheered, following Tai into the medical section of HQ. 


	9. Recovery

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 9- Recovery

__

~

Wish that I could cry. 

Fall upon my knees. 

Find a way to lie,

About a home, 

I'll never see. 

Lyrics: Superman_Five For Fighting

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

"Well? Give me your report Skybyte," Gigatron ordered, sitting majestically on his throne. 

"The, uh, Autobot was still functional and we, uh, were unable to destroy him," Skybyte stuttered, keeping his optics pinned on the ground before him. When his master did not begin shouting and screaming at him, the Predacon second-in-command lifted his optics. 

Gigatron stared harshly down at Skybyte, as if trying to bore holes in the shark's head. He could not count the number of times his plans had been fouled by either the Autobots interference or his troops own incompetence. Before he could open his mouth component and dish out a respectable punishment, the other three Predacons stumbled into the room, each one baring the result of their previous encounter with the Autobots. 

"What happened? I thought I told you to destroy those bullet trains!" Gigatron bellowed, his patience fuse burning dangerously low. 

"Yeah, well, Slapper had the brilliant idea of taking a human hostage and pissing off the Autobots," GasSkunk replied, shooting Slapper a glare.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Slapper shot back. 

"Enough!" their leader roared. In a slightly softer, more curious tone, he continued. "What's so special about this human?" Gigatron waved a hand and the three Predacons watched their earlier battle through an oval-viewing screen. 

Skybyte watched with interest as Slapper's tongue lashed out and retrieved a human female. His red optics widened upon realizing that the girl was the same one who had protected the country bumpkin' Autobot the other day. 

"What is it Skybyte? You look like you just saw a ghost," DarkScream commented suddenly.

"I've seen that human before. Yes, I'm sure of it. She's the one who was with that country bumpkin Autobot and tried to protect him," Skybyte replied, glancing towards his leader. 

Gigatron sat thoughtfully for a while, his hand rubbing his chin. "That human could be of use to us. I'm assigning you the duty of bringing her here, and do not fail me again!"

"I will not fail you, my leader," Skybyte said, thumping his chest-plate with his clawed hand. _Oww, that really hurt_, he thought, but showed no outward expression of pain.

"He's sure cocky today," GasSkunk whispered to his two teammates. The three Predacons snickered at the remark but whistled innocently when Skybyte glanced harshly in their direction. 

******

Koji emerged from the medical room, his face a sickly green, followed closely by Tai. The boy covered his stomach limply with one hand while holding his mouth with the other.

"Koji?" Optimus asked worriedly. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry Optimus, it's my fault," Tai explained, looked away from the boy for a moment. "I thought Koji would be able to help me 'repair' the girl, I never thought the sight of blood would upset him so much."

"It's okay Tai. I'm the one to blame. I had no idea blood would effect me this way. I mean, I've seen so much gruesome stuff on TV I would have thought I'd be used to it," Koji said thoughtfully, chuckling at the last part. 

"Are you going to be all right?" Sideburn asked nervously. "Cause if you're gonna hurl…"

"Sideburn!" Prowl hissed, taking a threatening step towards his younger brother.

"Hey, I was just kiddin'! Honest!" Sideburn replied hastily, holding up his hands and backing away from Prowl. 

"What's all the commotion about—Holy Catfish!" X-Brawn cried, seeing Koji's still greenish face. "You look greener than a chameleon with indigestion. What happened?"

"I don't like blood," he replied simply, cupping his mouth as his stomach heaved once more. 

"Do you need to lie down?" Prowl asked.

Koji nodded limply and followed the police Autobot to the nearest flat surface to be used as a makeshift bed for the time being.

"How's the little lady doin'?" X-Brawn asked, turning his gaze away from the small boy. 

Tai looked up into the Autobot's optics, her own purple eyes shinning with success. "She's resting peacefully for now. Her wrist was broken and had to be repaired, as well as receiving a cut on the head and a mild concussion, but other than that she should be back on her feet in a day or two."

"That's great Tai," Optimus commented.

"Uh, Optimus?" Sideburn cut in. "What are we going to _do_ with her once she's healed?" 

"We'll send her home of course," the Autobot leader replied a matter-of-factly. "I guess we should contact her parents and let them know she's all right."

X-Brawn shifted his weight uncomfortably. "She doesn't have a home."

The two Autobots stared at him, not sure what to say.

"How do _you_ know that?" Sideburn asked suspiciously, raising what acted as an eyebrow on his faceplate.

"We talked fer a bit before y'all came along and she told me she ran away. Her uncle was cruel an' mistreated her badly, so she left. He blamed her for the Preds attacking the oil plant."

"But she wasn't responsible for that," Optimus remarked. He thought for a moment then added, "What about her parents?"

X-Brawn shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure, she never mentioned 'em." 

******

Eyelids slowly flittered open to reveal sleepy ice-purple irises. Alana brushed aside a stray lock of forest green hair as she stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. When she attempted to move her injured hand, she found a hard substance restraining it and preventing any movement. The teenager stared at the cast with surprise illuminating her face. 

"You're finally awake."

Alana started in surprise and snapped her head towards the source of the voice. Her eyes traveled up in order to see the robot's face, and even then it was hard to see because of the angle she was in. 

Prowl kneeled down so the human could better see him; he noticed she was beginning to get frightened. 

"I didn't mean to startle you," he spoke gently, trying not to scare her more. "I'm Prowl, we met when you protected my brother."

Alana's eyes flickered with recognition. "Where am I?" she asked quietly.

"You're at Autobot Headquarters. You were injured by the Predacons and there was no time to take you to a hospital, so we brought you here."

"Predacons?" she repeated slowly. "You mean that weird thing with the long, disgusting tongue?"

Prowl chuckled. "That's one of them," he agreed. "I just want to thank you again for helping my brother. If it weren't for you he might not be here."

"He's okay? I mean, you were able to take care of him?" she asked earnestly. 

"Yup. I'm as good as new," X-Brawn replied from the large doorway.

"Hey! You're better!" Alana exclaimed, crawling forward on the hard surface that served as a temporary bed.

X-Brawn came fully into the room and stood beside his younger brother. "How are ya feelin'?"

"Okay, I guess. I have a monstrous headache, but my wrist feels better," she replied. "Who put the cast on?"

"That would be Tai," Prowl responded. "She also bandaged the cut on your head."

Alana reached up and felt the bandage tape around her head. "Who's Tai?"

X-Brawn was about to explain when Prowl cleared his throat, cutting him off. "We'll explain everything in due time. For right now, why don't you get some rest."

"But—oh, all right," she huffed, folding her arms across her chest. Alana slumped down on her hard bed and pouted as the Autobots left the room. 


	10. Missions

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 10- Missions

__

~

Frantic, faction, focus

The world breathes

And out forms this misconception we call man

But I don't know him

No, I don't know him

Because he lies

Lyrics: Say I_Creed

~

**__**

Authors Note: Sorry this chapter is so short. I was having a hard time finding a cut off point so I just picked one. I'll make sure to upload the next chapter soon. Thanks for stickin' with me so far and I hope you've enjoyed every chapter. There's more to come. {winks} Trust me. P.S.- I know there's already a Rocky Mountain link for the spacebridge, but it works with my story, so I'm keepin' it. 

******

"Build Team, I'm assigning you the duty of constructing a section of the Global SpaceBridge to stretch into the Rocky Mountains," Optimus Prime declared. He stood before the control panel for Teletran-1 and watched as the Autobot builders glanced nervously around, not looking him in the optics. 

"Uh, sure Optimus," Wedge replied hesitantly.

"What's the matter?" the Autobot leader asked worriedly. 

"We've been hearing a voice whenever we go into the tunnels," HeavyLoad answered. "It's really weird. At first we thought it was just the one tunnel, but we've been hearing it everywhere we go." 

"Hmm, contact me when you hear it again but for now stay focused and build that link." Optimus urged. 

"Yes sir!" Wedge replied, saluting his commander. "Consider it done." 

******

The Build Team worked in utter silence, trying desperately to hear some trace of the strange song. They constructed the tunnel in their robot forms since it would be easier to report to headquarters and to locate the voice. 

__

Win dain a lotica

En vai tu ri

Si lo ta

Wedge scrambled to activate his comlink. "Optimus!" he nearly screeched into the tiny microphone. "Its back! The voice is back!"

__

*What voice?* Tai's high-pitched voice replied. _*What are you talking about?*_

"Just listen for a few moments and you'll hear what I mean," the young leader replied impatiently. 

Silence fell upon the Autobots and the female hologram for what felt like hours.

__

*I don't hear anyth-* Tai began, but silenced herself when an eerie song echoed through Wedge's comlink.

__

Fin dein a loluca

En dragu a sei lain

Va fa-ra les shutai am

En riga lint

"Please tell me you heard that?" HeavyLoad asked, leaning closer to his leader for moral support. 

__

*Y-Yes, I d-did hear that,* came a small reply. 

__

*Was that the voice you were telling me about?* a deeper tone boomed from the comlink.

The Build Team, as one, screamed in surprise fell to the ground anime style, with one leg twitching in the air.

"You nearly scared us half to death Optimus," Grimlock panted, placing a hand to his rapidly pulsing spark. 

__

*Sorry,* the Autobot leader apologized. _*But that was the voice you had been hearing, right?*_

"Yes sir, that's the one," Wedge replied confidently. 

__

*Optimus, my sensors are picking up a strange signal emanating ahead of the Build Team,* Tai cut in suddenly. 

__

*Hmm. Build Team, new mission agenda. Once Tai uploads the coordinates of the signal I want you to check it out,* Optimus ordered in his best authoritative tone.

"Uh, sure," HeavyLoad replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What ever you say," Wedge replied hesitantly. He could tell that none of his teammates wanted to continue digging, but they could not disobey their leader.

******

Scourge narrowed his ruby optics thoughtfully upon hearing Movor's latest report about Autobot activity. The spaceship Decepticon had supposedly seen four Autobot's moving around near the Rocky Mountains, but was unsure of their agenda. 

"I want you to go to those mountains and find out what the Autobots are after. If it's something important, you are to find out everything. Is that understood?" Gigatron ordered, scowling down at the two Decepticons before him.

"Yes sir," MegaOctane replied, kneeling before his leader. 

"As you command, sire," Scourge bowed to hide the flicker of hatred in his optics. 

~~~

"What do you expect we'll find there?" Movor questioned his other flying companion. The two were sent ahead of the team to scout the area and find any and all Autobots in the territory. 

"I'm not sure Movor," RoTor replied honestly. "I really don't see the big deal in this mission, but if the boss says go I don't argue."

"You said it. I don't want to be responsible getting Gigatron or Scourge upset," Movor chuckled. 

"Yeah, I know what you mean," RoTor replied, smothering a laugh. "Scourge's face looks like a gasket getting ready to blow whenever Optimus Prime shows up in a battle."

The two continued discussing funny situations involving Gigatron and/or Scourge until a rough voice over their open comlinks silenced them.

__

*Just wait 'till I get my hands on you two!* Scourge's angry voice erupted. _*You should keep in mind that your comlinks turn off **manually**!*_

"Uh, oh," the Decepticons murmured in unison. Together, they quickly proceeded to their destined coordinates so as not to anger their leader further.


	11. Treasure

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 11- Treasure

__

~

I'm always on my own  
I can show a smile, it's not hard to do  
I can have the strength to go on  
But sometimes I wanna let go of everything

Lyrics: You're Not Alone_Escaflowne

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: 

****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

* * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Snow fell gently from the sky, covering the rocky land below. Tall, sturdy trees loomed over the terrain, keeping an ever-watchful eye on the mountain's occupants.

"Wow," HighTower commented, taking in a deep breath of the crisp air. "It sure is beautiful up here." 

"It's colder too," Grimlock added, hugging himself to keep warm. 

"Come on guys! This way!" Wedge's cheerful voice echoed through the high mountain pass. When his teammates made no move to follow, he called after them again only louder. 

"Shh," HeavyLoad hissed. "You'll cause an avalanche." 

Wedge instantly covered his mouth then quietly motioned for his comrades to follow him. The team picked their way through rough terrain, following an invisible path towards their destination. They traveled for quite some time, resting only for a few moments before continuing. 

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" HeavyLoad asked, taking a seat on a fallen tree. He regretted the motion as soon as snow contacted his rear, sending more chills through his frame.

"Of course I'm sure…I think," Wedge replied confidently then trailed off into hesitation. Checking his coordinates in relation to the ones Tai supplied him, he did a double take then scratched the back of his neck. 

"Is something wrong?" HighTower asked, stepping closer to his leader and friend.

"No…but these coordinates indicates that we should be standing right on top of whatever is emitting the signal," Wedge replied, looking down around his feet. "I guess we should start looking."

The Build Team searched for hours in the dense forest, frequently getting smacked in the face by low tree branches or getting plopped on by snow from heavy branches. Rocks were turned over, fallen trees were pushed aside, and even icy creeks were dug through. 

"What exactly are we looking fo-" Hightower began but was cut off when he found his face full of snow. "Who put this here?"

"Who put what where?" Wedge asked, making his way over to his fallen teammate. He noticed a small black object protruding from underneath the snow, barely visible but large enough for an Autobot to trip over. 

"What is that?" Grimlock inquired, leaning over HeavyLoad's shoulder to get a better look. 

After a moment of discussion, Grimlock found himself digging around the object with his shovel. The ground was unusually hard and rocks kept putting small dents in his digging utensil. As hard as the action was, Grimlock was determined to carry out his order and unearth whatever Hightower had tripped over. 

"I can't believe it," Wedge remarked upon seeing the uncovered item.

"This is incredible," HeavyLoad grinned.

"Whoa," Hightower whispered.

Grimlock heaved the heavy object out of its hole and placed it carefully on the snowy ground. He simply stared at it, no words forming in his throat as he gawked at what lay before him. 

~~~

RoTor snickered softly as he watched the red Autobot fall face first into the snow; he heard Movor smoother his own burst of laughter as well. _Clumsy fool_, the helicopter Decepticon thought to himself. 

The two robots watched with minor curiosity as the Autobots stood in a circle around something; then one began to dig. The hole became deeper and larger until the green Autobot had to stand in it in order to continue digging. The Autobot suddenly stopped digging and emerged from the crater, baring the treasure he had recently unearthed.

"Would ya look at that?" Movor commented, fixing his optics on the prize.

"Scourge will be pleased with this," RoTor added, opening his comlink and updating his leader about the new target. 

After receiving orders to apprehend the target, the two flying Decepticons transformed and proceeded to attack the Autobots. They watched with glee as their foes scrambled for cover while at the same time trying to protect their recently uncovered treasure. 

~~~

"HeavyLoad! Guard that stasis pod!" Wedge hollered at his yellow companion. 

"Right!" HeavyLoad replied, dodging a flying missile and dashing in the direction of the pod. He managed to roll out of the way of a laser beam and grab the stasis pod in the process. Thankful that his armor was the thickest of the Autobots, HeavyLoad protected the defenseless protoform from further damage by using his own body as a shield. The sound of guns echoing throughout the secluded forest brought a previous problem to his thoughts; avalanche. 

Looking up with wide optics towards the towering cliff, he regretted to see that snow had begun to slowly fall down the mountain; only a small amount but gathering quantity by the minute. 

"If we don't get out of here soon we'll be buried under the snow!" HeavyLoad shouted to his commander. 

Wedge glanced at the indicated cliffside and a grin spread across his face. "That's a great idea!" he announced, then begun firing at the snow covered mountain. 

~~~

Scourge, seeing HeavyLoad distracted for a moment, took the opportunity to grab the stasis pod from the unsuspecting Autobot. As if to further the victory, he slashed HeavyLoad across the chestplate with his 'Sword of Fury', leaving a rather nasty gash. 

"Decepticons! We got what we came for, retreat!" he ordered, preparing to roll out. A loud rumbling sound halted his departure as snow came crashing towards him, swallowing entire trees without loosing speed. 

"Grab the pod!" MegaOctane shouted, lunging for the stasis pod which was now grasped harshly by his leader. The two Decepticons worked together for a moment in securing the pod, but the barreling snow launched it from their clutches. 

~~~

HeavyLoad hauled pile after pile of snow and ice while Grimlock dug the Build Team out from under the avalanche. His thoughts kept drifting back to the stasis pod but he refrained from mentioning anything; Wedge had a strange glint in his optics that told him the situation was under control. 

Daylight dimly shown down from above, indicating the group was close to the surface. The Autobots gulped in the fresh mountain air as they dragged themselves out from their tunnel. As they rested and regained some strength, a glowing circle appeared above them on a mountain cliff and out zoomed three bullet trains. 

"Are you guys all right?" RailSpike asked, transforming in midair and landing near the Build Team. 

"Yeah, we're fine," Wedge panted, resting his back against an exposed treetop. The avalanche covered the forest they were in so now it appeared as if only saplings had ever grown in the area.

"You look like you just took a pounding from Ruination," RapidRun commented, scanning over the tired Autobot group. 

HeavyLoad glanced over at his leader and was surprised to see the latter walking confidently away from the group. 

"Where are you going?" Midnight Express asked, beginning to follow the young leader. He was somewhat surprised to see Wedge stop, kneel, then start pushing away snow from the ground. 

RailSpike opened his mouth to say something but only let it hang open; his optics now rested on the partially exposed stasis pod. 

"How on Cybertron did you find that?" RapidRun asked, his voice slightly higher than normal. 

Wedge grinned from audio receptor to audio receptor. "When Tai downloaded me the coordinates of the signal emitting from the pod, she also sent me a copy of the frequency. That allowed me to find the pod even after the avalanche had buried it."

The Autobots gaped at the young warrior, shocked by his quick thinking. Then, as one, they patted him on the back and heavily praised him. Wedge was flustered at first then allowed himself to feel proud of his accomplishment. Leading the way back to Autobot Headquarters, the young leader grinned broadly the entire way.


	12. Mysteries

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 12- Mysteries

__

~

Up all night long   
And there's something very wrong   
And I know it must be late   
Been gone since yesterday   
I'm not like you guys   
I'm not like you 

__

Lyrics: Aliens Exist_Blink 182

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: 

****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

* * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Alana slowly opened her eyelids then shot into a sitting position, forgetting where she was for the moment. She sighed and laid her head back down on the makeshift pillow, her head beginning to pound from the sudden movement. 

"Hey, you're awake," a young voice said cheerfully.

The teenage female lifted up her head and noticed a boy standing in the doorway, his hair unusually spiky. 

"Who are you?" she asked, lifting herself into a sitting position with her legs crossed before her.

"I'm Koji Onishi. You're name's Alana, right? X-Brawn was talking about you earlier," Koji rambled. He continued talking about what was said about her until a muffled sound caught his attention soon after mentioning Sideburn's reaction to her.

"What?" he asked innocently, clearly not knowing what he had just said.

"You're cute," she replied simply, smiling sweetly at him.

Koji grinned and rubbed the back of his neck, a faint flushness spreading across his cheeks. The smile broadened as he grabbed Alana's good wrist and pulled her out of her room.

"Where are we going?" Alana gasped as she was being dragged down a very large and long corridor. She marveled at the sheer size of the hall and took great interest in the fact that metal took the place of wood or plaster. 

"Optimus wants to meet you," Koji answered, turning a corner. 

"Who's Opt…" Alana began but trailed off as a group of robots appeared in her view. "Oh…my…god," she whispered to herself. She made no protest as Koji tugged her ever closer to the towering metal robots. 

"Hey guys, what's goin' on?" Koji asked, walking between robot feet towards the middle of the Autobot circle. He released his grip on Alana's wrist before entering the maze of robotic feet, interested in finding out the source of all the commotion. 

Alana gawked at all of the large transformers before her; all of who were oblivious to her presence at the moment. Three of the robots huddled together were visibly taller than the rest; seven others were clustered in a group; and then she noticed X-Brawn flanked by the white robot from earlier and a similar blue one. 

"Are you feeling better?" a high-pitched voice asked from the teenager's right. 

"WHAA!" Alana screeched, tripping over her own feet. She landed hard on her butt, gaining unwanted attention from all of the Autobots in the room. 

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to frighten you," Tai apologized, bending down slightly. "I'm Tai, nice to meet you."

Alana stared up at the girl hovering in front of her. "I'm Alana," she introduced meekly. "You're see-through…and…and you can fly," she added mystified. 

"Tai is a hologram of our central computer Teletran 1," a slightly deep, but kind voice explained from above.

X-Brawn stepped away from his fellow bots and approached the human. "Howdy," he greeted. "Feelin' better?"

Alana nodded her head. "Yup. I'm doin' just fine," she said, rubbing her sore rear. Looking past X-Brawn's large metal legs, she noticed a strange item with several other bots still around it. "What's that?" she added, cocking her head to the side. 

"That would be a stasis pod," the familiar deep but kind voice responded. 

Alana brought her gaze from the pod and turned her attention to the source of the voice. Since she was still sitting on the floor, the human had to strain her neck in order to see the large robot's face. 

"Who are you?" she asked, her mouth forming an impressed 'O'. 

"My name is Optimus Prime. I'm the leader of the Autobots," the large transformer greeted, a smile glinting in his golden optics. He knelt down so he was not so intimidating and stretched out his hand. "Nice to meet you Alana. I want to thank you personally for saving a member of my team."

"No problem," she replied meekly, placing her tiny hand in Prime's large metal one. "By the way, what's a stasis pod?" she asked, cocking her head to see the strange object once more. 

Optimus Prime chuckled at the human's curious nature and the face she made when asking the question. "A stasis pod is a protective shell for a protoform from Cybertron, our home planet. Once the protoform chooses a vehicle or animal form, then they no longer need the pod," he answered, standing up to his full height. As he glanced back towards the stasis pod, a faint flicker of sadness shown in his golden optics. 

"What's wrong?" Alana asked softly, staring up at the Autobot leader. 

Instead of Prime answering, however, one of the tall transformers replied. Two blue pieces of metal hung off the robot's shoulders and his ruby optics sparkled with kindness. 

"Glad to see you're feeling better," RailSpike greeted. "This particular pod seems to not be responding to anything we do, so we're kinda at a loss."

"Oh," Alana replied. Removing her hand from Optimus', she walked over to the pod. Standing before it with wide eyes, the human gazed at it for awhile with pity shinning in her ice-purple irises. 

"What's going to happen to it?" she asked softly, turning her head towards the Autobot leader. 

"I'm actually not sure. I guess we'll try to repair any damages but there's nothing we really can do," Prime replied. 

"Poor thing," Alana whispered as she placed her hand against the cold metal. A single tear trickled down her cheek and dripped onto the floor.

The stasis pod began making strange sounds, as if power was trying to flow through its system. Light trickled from the clear window on its front as a panel extended from the side of the pod. 

__

Win dain a lotica

En vai tu ri

Si lo ta

All Autobots stared at the stasis pod, surprise clearly showing in their faces. The soft soprano voice continued with the song after a moment's pause, sending chills through everyone's frame.

__

Fin dein a loluca

En dragu a sei lain

Va fa-ra les shutai am

En riga lint

"What was that?" Sideburn asked cautiously, glancing around the room before returning his gaze to the pod. 

"Good question," Prowl muttered. 

"_You were the first dragon, my beloved. I've been watching you from atop the fairy stump. How beautifully did the water touch those lips. How you shone at the spearhead of battle_," Alana whispered faintly, her voice sounding strangely like the one singing. She retracted her hand from the stasis pod and backed away a few steps, all the while keeping her eyes pinned to the protoform inside. 

Once the human's hand was removed form the pod, all activity ceased and the small panel retreated back into its secret hiding place. 

"How did you do that?" RapidRun asked, gawking at the teenager. As the human's ice-purple eyes locked with his green optics, an unexpected chill ran down his frame. Something had changed in her eyes; they were sharper and held a deadly beauty to them.

Alana shook her head and her eyes returned to their normal innocent appearance. She cocked her head to the side at RapidRun's question. 

"How did I do what?" she asked. Looking around at the other Autobot, she noticed they were staring at her strangely. "What?"

"How did you activate the stasis pod?" Sideburn gaped, speaking up since everyone else seemed too stunned to talk. 

Alana stared at him as if he'd just grown another head. "I don't know what you're talking about. All I did was touch it, that's all." 

"Then, how did you know what the song meant?" Koji asked, standing beside the teenager. 

The human ran a hand through her long, forest green locks in frustration. "What song?"

"The song that everyone in this room heard," Prowl stated, beginning to think the human was deliberately messing with their heads. 

Alana gazed at everyone in turn before answering a bit nervously. "I really have no clue what you're talking about." 


	13. Confessions

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 13- Confessions

__

~

It may sound absurd…but don't be naive 

Even Heroes have the right to bleed 

I may be disturbed…but won't you concede 

Even Heroes have the right to dream 

It's not easy to be me 

__

Lyrics: Superman_Five for Fighting

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. In case any of you are getting bored with this 'pointless story', I just want to let you know that it will get better. And to prove it, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! J 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

For the next few days all Autobots wondered how the human could not remember hearing or translating the strange song. It seemed impossible for someone to translate something and not remember hearing it in the first place. However, this was not the only thing bombarding the Autobots minds; the other was the situation about the human girl. Where was she to stay?, Who are her parents?, and What was to become of her? 

It took a lot of work on X-Brawn's part to convince Alana to go home and gather her things, regarding the fact that she'd been wearing the clothes on her back for the past week. Since she simply refused to return home permanently, Optimus Prime offered her refuge at Headquarters. For his kind deed, Prime was rewarded with joyful tears from Alana, along with the many thanks; she even hugged his leg she was so happy. 

Throughout the entire conversation, X-Brawn stood off to the side, awaiting the order from Prime to escort the human. When the latter dismissed the tough Autobot without requesting his presence while the human gathered her things, he let himself be known. 

"Uh, sir. Shouldn't someone be there in case something goes wrong?" X-Brawn suggested. 

Optimus Prime rubbed his chin thoughtfully, secretly smiling to himself. 

"Yes, I believe that would be a good idea," he began slowly. "Someone dependable, and used to taking responsibility. An Autobot who has the discipline but still knows when to act." After a moments pause he added, "I think Prowl should have the assignment."

X-Brawn's bubble burst and shattered to pieces. Here this girl had saved his life and probably his only chance to begin to pay her back was snatched from his grasp. Nodding his head solemnly in agreement, he turned to leave. 

"X-Brawn," Prime said sternly. 

"Yeah?"

"I was only kidding."

******

X-Brawn hummed to himself a cheerful tune as he rolled down the long dirt road, with only the earth and Alana as company. He noticed his companion was rather quiet lately, but that was understandable considering where she was going. 

"Um…Alana?" X-Brawn asked hesitantly, bringing his passenger out from her daze. 

"Yes?" she answered hesitantly.

"I was wondering, um, why don't you live with your parents?" X-Brawn regretted bringing up the subject when he felt Alana shift uncomfortably in her seat. It took a moment for her to answer, but when she did her voice was calm and collected. 

"My parents died twelve years ago in a car accident. I was only five years old at the time, so I don't really remember them much. We were going to the Rocky Mountains on a ski trip; it was my first time. The road was covered in snow, but my dad had driven that road many times before and knew where the dangerous spots were; so we weren't scared.

"Then, without warning, rocks began tumbling across the road. At first they weren't anything to be frightened about, but they rapidly gained in size. One of the boulders collided with the side of the car, sending us off the narrow road and down a steep cliff. The car rolled the entire way down, occasionally bouncing off large rocks and hitting trees." 

Alana's voice was beginning to crack as she retold the story. Hot tears stung her eyes but she continued. 

"My mom and dad were dead by the time the car stopped moving. From what I remember, I was still alive but barely. The last thing I remember before loosing consciousness was a bright ball of light floating in front of me. The next thing I knew I was laying outside in the snow. From what the doctors said, I had a broken arm, fractured leg, and a few bruised ribs. I was somehow able to walk away from that accident with minor injuries compared to my parents." 

By this time it had become hard for Alana to continue without sniffling now and again. After taking a moment to wipe away stray tears and collect herself, she continued. 

"Anyway, none of my other relatives could take me in, so I went to live with my uncle in Texas. I've been there ever since." 

X-Brawn listened intently to the story, his CPU aching for the losses this young girl had endured. He could think of nothing comforting to say so he kept on driving, more intent on his thoughts than on his surroundings. 

******

Skybyte panted heavily as he flew through the thick summer air, the hot sun beating relentlessly against his metal back. The Predacon shark silently cursed the country-bumpkin Autobot for driving in the middle of a wasteland, but then again…he was an easy target to follow. He continued stalking the Autobot even as it pulled onto a long driveway leading to a very large house. Large rocky hills boarded the back of the house, providing a buffer from the dust storms rolling in. 

Skybyte marveled at the sheer size of the mansion and wondered what a human could possibly want much less do with all that space. 

******

"Here we are," Alana stated as the mansion came into view. 

X-Brawn's face appeared on a small viewing screen on the dashboard. Even though his expression was void of emotion, his golden optics shone with worry.

"Are you sure you're okay doing this?" he asked worriedly. 

Alana nodded her head. It took a few moments for her to exit the vehicle after he stopped, and she hesitated to move forward. 

"I'm right here if you need me," X-Brawn said comfortingly as a large man emerged from the mansion.

"Thanks. That's nice to know," Alana replied. 

The large man scowled at the teenager with disgust filling his dark brown eyes. He pointed a finger accusingly at his niece and hissed,

"What are you doing back here? I thought I told you to leave."

Alana gazed back at her uncle with equal hatred. 

"You did. I have come for my things then you will never see me again."

The man grinned evilly. 

"I could have you arrested for trespassing if you place one foot inside my house. Since you are no longer a part of my family you are trespassing on private property."

"Now hold on one minute," a voice erupted. "X-Brawn transform!"

The stout man nearly fell on his rump when the SUV before him transformed into a giant robot. His jaw hung open as he stared at the large robot with eyes as wide as saucers. 

"She's your niece, how can you treat her that way?" X-Brawn asked, gazing calmly down at the terrified human. 

"MONSTER!" the human screamed. Frantically scrambling towards his house, he only took a few quick steps before he found himself being lifted into the air by the back of his shirt. Golden optics stared into his deep brown eyes as X-Brawn scanned the human cautiously. 

"I'll do anything you want! Just please don't hurt me!" he pleaded, clasping his hands on his chest. The man was then placed gently back on the ground. 

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just don't understand how you can treat your own niece that way," X-Brawn clarified. 

The male human frowned at the girl before turning his piercing gaze to the large robot. A sinister smirk appeared on his face as he seemed to recall some vital piece of information. 

"I can treat her anyway I damn well please. She's not even related to me."


	14. Sacrifices

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 14- Sacrifices

__

~

Show me the meaning of being lonely

So many words for the broken heart

It's hard to see in a crimson love

So hard to breathe

Lyrics: Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely_Backstreet Boys

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Alana felt her body instantly cool as the blood drained from her face. _How can I not be related to him? He is my uncle…isn't he?_

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously. 

Her uncle's smirk deepened at her reaction. "They never told you did they?" The man did not wait for answer before continuing. "My sister and her husband found you when you were a baby inside a dumpster, ditched by your birth parents and left to die. They took you in a raised you but without problems. Ever since you arrived their lives had been a disaster; and it was all because of you." 

"But-"

"Think about it. Why were your parents always poor? Why was your father constantly unemployed? Why did they spend their savings going on a ski trip with their daughter? Why were you the only to survive the accident when no one else could have?"

Alana's mind whirled in confusion and despair. She had never wanted to hurt her parents, but by simply being near them she'd caused them pain.

"I never knew," she whispered. Her head hung low at the thought of causing her parents so much pain. "Then it was all my fault. The accident, their deaths, everything…it was all my fault." Hot tears streamed down her face as the words spiraled through her mind. Looking up at the man she had thought to be her uncle, she attempted to continue but the lump in her throat the words from emerging. 

"I'm sorry," she croaked before rushing past the man and around the house towards the rocky hills. Alana ignored the calls from her Autobot companion, instead squeezing her eyes shut and pushing her legs to move faster. _It was all my fault. I killed them. I filled their lives with sorrow and despair, so why was I spared?_ she thought sadly. The human ran into the cover of the rocks before stopping to sob. She leaned against a large boulder then slowly slid to the ground. 

Tears continued to fall from her eyes and down her flushed cheeks as Alana sobbed behind the rock. She did not even bother to lift her head from her knees when the sound of heavy footsteps stopped in front of her. 

"Well, well, what have we here?" a slightly familiar voice snickered. 

Alana lifted her head and raised her gaze high in order to look into the eyes of the large robot before her. He seemed vaguely familiar until a toothy grin spread across his face, only then did it register who was staring down at her. 

"Hello again," Skybyte greeted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"Leave me alone," Alana whispered, lowering her head once more. 

Skybyte cocked his head. He had not expected that reaction from her. He had thought the human would scream and call for help, or at least act a bit more frightened. Puffing up his chest in pride, he thought that maybe she was simply too afraid to move or scream. 

The Predacon reached down to nab the human when a choked cry reached his audio receptors. Staring down at the female Earthling, he noticed her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she smothered down another sob. Even though he was the leader of the Predacons and right-hand man of Gigatron, he could not help but feel sorry for the human. 

"Ah, now, don't cry. I didn't mean to scare you like that," Skybyte apologized, actually sounding sincere. 

Alana shook her head. "No, no, it wasn't you. You don't have to feel bad."

Skybyte pondered this response. _Well if I didn't do anything to upset her, then why is she crying?_ he asked himself, but unfortunately received no answer. He was about to voice his question when many dark shadows encompassed the ground around him. 

"What do you think you are doing?" Scourge asked roughly, glaring down at the Predacon and human. "You were supposed to have that human back at base cycles ago."

"Yes, I know that," Skybyte replied harshly. "there were some unexpected circumstances and-"

"Save your pitiful excuses for Gigatron," Scourge snapped. Reaching down, the Decepticon leader roughly grabbed the female human and lifted her to his optic level. "What's so important about this human anyway? Why can't we just get rid of her now?"

"Because, our master said to use her as a bargaining chip for the stasis pod," MegaOctane replied quickly. He knew that look in Scourge's optics all too well; his leader wanted to crush the fragile human in his hands and be done with it. 

Scourge reluctantly nodded in agreement and carelessly tossed Alana to Skybyte. "You will take her to Gigatron while we deal with the Autobot."

Skybyte frowned deeply but did as he was directed. Transforming into his beast mode, the Predacon held Alana in his teeth by the back of her shirt so that she was hanging by literally a thread. 

"HELP!!" she screamed loudly. Fear had managed to paralyze her lungs for the past few moments, but she was finally able to break its hold and cry for help. 

~~~

X-Brawn heard her cry and raced to the rescue. Unfortunately, he ended up in a Decepticon trap with no way out. With no other choice but to fight, he was forced watch helplessly as Skybyte carried off his human friend. His CPU ached from not being able to help, even though he called for backup, he knew they would be too late. Clenching his fists tightly, he summoned all the power he had within and brought it to the surface, changing to super charge mode. 

"X-Brawn super-charge!" The Autobot's body became encompassed with light as his power surfaced. The energy was so intense it even changed the coloring on his metal exterior. 

"Outta my way!" he shouted, firing at MegaOctane and RoTor until his gun glowed white from the extreme heat. X-Brawn managed to hold off the evil transformers long enough for his brothers and Ultra Magnus to arrive on the scene. With their added firepower, the Decepticons fled before receiving severe damage.

"Come back here!" X-Brawn hollered after the retreating Decepticons. When he attempted to follow the transformers, Ultra Magnus surprisingly held him back.

"Where do you think you're going?" the rogue Autobot asked. He had come to accept Sideburn's hot-headedness but had never thought X-Brawn had it too. Then again they were brothers. 

"We've got to get her back," he replied, glancing quickly at the spot where he had last seen Skybyte.

"Get who back?" Magnus asked. 

"The little lady, who else?"

Ultra Magnus did the equivalent of a human raising an eyebrow. "The little lady?" he repeated. "What little lady?"

"Alana. Ya know, the human who has been staying at the base for the past few days," the Autobot brother answered, becoming a bit frustrated. "That Pred Skybyte took her." 

"We should organize a rescue operation immediately," Prowl stated suggestively. He began blurting out several different types of plans when he was cut off by a message from Prime.

__

*Everyone report back to base ASAP. We are receiving an incoming message from Gigatron.* 

******

Gigatron drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne, his mouth component clenched tight. It had been several hours since he had sent Skybyte to retrieve the human and his loyal second in command had yet to return. He rose and began pacing the room impatiently. This human was essential to his plans for defeating the Autobots and stealing all of the earth's energy. Without her whom could he use as a bargaining chip? The boy Koji was too well protected by the Autobots so there was no way to kidnap him, and any other human would not pose as definite enough motivation for the Autobots and would not produce the panicked expressions Gigatron enjoyed so much.

The Predacon leader continued to stomp around his throne room, growling and muttering under his breath occasionally. He would snap at anyone who was not Skybyte and dared to disturb him for trivial requests. 

"Gigatron, sir," Skybyte began, kneeling before his leader. He opened his mouth component to continue when Gigatron nearly bit his head.

"Skybyte! Where have you been! You know this human is essential in my plans, don't you! Well? Don't' you!" Gigatron roared, not giving his most loyal underling a chance to explain. When Skybyte opened his mouth to answer, the Predacon leader cut him off.

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Skybyte! Where is the human? Did you manage to retrieve her? You do remember what will happen if you fail me again, don't you? That's right, Scourge will take your place and I will make sure to turn you into-"

Skybyte remained in his kneeling position throughout the entire berating, wincing whenever Gigatron would raise his voice or cut him off. He waited patiently for his master to allow him a moment to explain and present his prize, but the chance did not come for some time. Finally, the Predacon shark raised his optics from the ground and brought his fingered hand into view. Clasped between his large, metal fingers was the human Gigatron had asked for. 

The Predacon leader stopped in mid sentence upon seeing a human in Skybyte's grasp staring up at him with tear-filled eyes. Gigatron began congratulating his underling for his excellent work. Laughter filled his throat then exploded out of his mouth, filling the chamber with a booming roar. _My plans are finally coming into play. With this human in my possession the Autobots won't dare do a thing if they want her to live. Their kind hearts will be the end of them once and for all._

"I do believe it's time to enact the first part of my brilliant plan," Gigatron chuckled. Summoning his viewing oval, he was successful in patching a link to the Autobots base. "There's no time like the present," he grinned to himself. 

Optimus Prime's face appeared in the viewing screen, optics flashing dangerously. As the screen widened, all Autobots could be seen in the background, awaiting the Predacon leader's message.

Gigatron smiled evilly as he scanned the expressions of each Autobot. They all seemed curious but three in particular glared at him with piercing optics; they knew what this was about. 

"Greetings Optimus Prime," Gigatron began sweetly. "How is that human friend of yours?"

Prime narrowed his optics. "What is it you want Gigatron?"

"No need for rude comments, Optimus. But, if you insist, I'll get to the point. I want that stasis pod," he stated harshly. 

"And what makes you think we're going to give it to you? You overgrown dumpster!" Sideburn replied, shaking his fist at the enemy leader. 

Gigatron's face suddenly twisted with anger, which was quickly replaced with one of mock humor as he donned a lop-sided smile. "I would choose your words carefully, young Autobot. If you at all value that human's pathetic life."

"What did you just say?" Prowl asked aloud, surprise etched on his face. 

Gigatron laughed loudly at the startled expressions of the Autobots. Holding up his hand, he proudly displayed his prisoner. 

"Why you no good, cowardly varmint!" X-Brawn hissed. 

The Predacon tisked, shacking his head sadly. "Did you hearing nothing I just said? Well, let me give you a demonstration." Gigatron proceeded to clench his hand around the fragile human. She screamed in pain as the fingers surrounding her body tightened, literally crushing her. 

This continued for only a few moments yet it seemed like hours. The human's painful cries echoed throughout the room, occasionally overlapping to produce an overwhelming effect on the Autobots. Only when they begged him to stop did the Predacon relinquish his hold on Alana. When the pressure subsided, she began gasping for breath and a few painful tears dripped down her cheeks. 

The Autobots clenched their fists as well, imagining Gigatron's neck between their fingers. They refrained from commenting any more for fear of causing their friend more unnecessary harm. 

"Listen carefully, Optimus Prime, because I will only say this once. If you want your little friend here back alive and in one piece, bring the stasis pod to this location [a map appeared on the screen below Gigatron's face]. No tricks." With that, the link was disconnected, leaving a room full of stunned Autobots. 

"What are we going to do, Optimus?" Koji asked, breaking the silence. 

All optics turned to their leader and most trusted friend. Everyone knew Optimus wished more than anything to keep the humans out of this fight, but would he willing to sacrifice one life to save the protoform or would he give the Decepticons another troop? 

"We will give them what they want. I will not sit by and watch an innocent human die," Prime replied, his voice strong and powerful. Glancing at the pod then at his warriors, he ordered everyone to remain at base, except the Autobot brothers, who were to accompany him to the destined meeting place. 


	15. Deception With A Captial D

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 15- Deception with a Capital D

__

~

This is getting cold, I can't break these  
Chains that I hold  
My body's growing cold, there's nothing  
Left of this mind or my soul  
Addiction needs a pacifier, the buzz of   
This poison is taking me higher  
This will fall away, this will fall away

Lyrics: Loser_3 Doors Down

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Scourge growled softly in irritation, shifting his weight from foot to foot. The hot summer sun was really beginning to fry his patience, along with the fact that he had to hold the puny human. Glaring down at the human, he thought of how simple it would be to just tighten his hand and deal with the human here and now. He was going to do it later so why not just get it over with. 

"Scourge, here they come," MegaOctane announced. 

The Decepticon commander smiled under his facemask. "Do not fire upon them, yet. I don't want to risk damaging the pod."

The four Autobots transformed and slowly approached the Decepticons; Prime holding the pod. They cautiously approached the enemy, silently making notes about every possible attempt at an ambush. 

"We've come through with our part of the deal, now release the girl," Optimus Prime announced, still holding the pod before him. 

"Not so fast Optimus. Hand over the pod first, then you'll get the human," Scourge replied smugly. He was silently grateful that his facemask hid the smirk spreading across his face, yet, he also wished his enemies knew what was in store for them. 

"Something doesn't smell right," Prowl whispered to his brothers. 

Sideburn sniffed the air curiously. "I don't smell anything," he responded, sending his police-car brother a sideways glance. 

"It's a statement that means this doesn't feel right," X-Brawn corrected, shaking his head sadly at his sibling's lack of understanding. His optics shifted to his human friend and felt pity for the female. In doing the simple deed of trying to start her life over again, she had winded up in the hands of the Decepticons. 

Scourge smirked deeply under his facemask as Optimus Prime approached him bearing the stasis pod and making no attempts to attack. The black transformer quickly glanced down at his hand and saw the human opening her mouth as if to speak. He instantly tightened his grip on the female and cut her off before she could warn the Autobots. A few choked gasped rumbled from her throat but no distinguishable words. 

"There, you know have the pod. Now release the human," Prime stated, stepping back towards his men. His gaze shifted from MegaOctane, now holding the pod, and Scourge who held the human. 

"I don't think so, Prime," Scourge chuckled. 

The Autobot brothers gasped in surprise as Scourge and the Decepticons quickly retreated from the scene. They would have pursued the enemy if Optimus Prime hadn't discouraged it, saying they might kill Alana if they did. All they could do was watch as the enemy carried away their human friend. 

They saw her horrified face as the Decepticons turned and withdrew; they witnessed the tears forming in her eyes as she slowly disappeared from sight; and they experienced the overwhelming desire to help her, but were powerless to do so; so, instead, they merely watched. 

******

"I can't believe those Autobots!" Movor roared, optics brimming with fluid from laughing so hard. 

"I know what you mean," RoTor joined in. "Their expressions were priceless!" The two of them were joined by their fellow transformers in a well-deserved laugh and victory. 

The Decepticons rolled across the countryside and through various cities towards a destination all their own. At this moment, they wished to savor the feeling of victory before returning to their duty. Laughter radiated from the military vehicles as they barreled down roads, forcing humans to pull off to the side to avoid being creamed. 

~~~

Alana sat in the passenger's side of the large oil tanker, alone and afraid. She had no idea what these robots wanted with her, but she figured it wasn't anything good. Thoughts zipped through her mind of some things they might do to her, from torture, to freedom, to ending her life. A shiver ran through her spin at the thought of dying. There were so many things she had yet to do in her life: her first kiss, getting married, having kids, and going to Disneyland; you know the usual. 

Sighing defeatedly, Alana gazed out the red tinted windows and watched as the land flew by. For a moment her heart skipped a beat when she thought a white and green SUV was driving beside her, but it was just a trick of her mind. Placing her chin in her hand, the human continued to stare blankly out the window for what seemed like hours; that is until, she caught a glimpse of where they were headed. 

******

Scourge led the way towards a destination all his own, planning to activate the new Decepticon immediately. The road was long and boring, but the target was well worth the trip. He didn't slow in the least when a tall barbed wire fence stood before him, guarded by two humans in uniform. 

The humans stood in front of the gate and held out their hands, requesting for him and the other vehicles behind him to halt, but they would do no such thing; if anything they pressed harder on their accelerators. The foolish Earthlings dived out of the way just before contacting Scourge's front grill, but not before firing a few rounds at him. The bullets did nothing but bounce harmlessly off his thick metal frame and bulletproof windshield. 

Scourge dumped his human passenger out before transforming. He stared coldly at her before roughly snatching her up from the ground. 

"Decepticons!" he barked sharply. "Find a suitable vehicle for our new recruit." 

"Yes, sir," they replied as one. 

Humans tried to defend their military base from the 'invasion' yet only managed to annoy the transformers into driving them off the premises before continuing with their mission. It took a few tries from the others, but Armorhide was the one to pick out the best shell for the new robot. With slim wings and super-powered thrusters, the state-of-the-art fighter jet seemed the perfect choice. 

MegaOctane positioned the pod just right and pressed the buttons to begin the scanning process, only to have it jolted from his grasp by a missile attack. When he managed to recover the pod and himself, he noticed some new transformers has joined the party. 

"Well, well. Nice of you to join us Optimus," Scourge greeted smugly. "You're just in time to witness the birth of a new Decepticon." He casually dropped his human captive to charge at his adversary, the leader of the Autobots. 

"Over my fried hard drive," Optimus Prime growled, lunging forward to engage Scourge in a battle of strength. 

The Decepticons and the Autobot brothers assault each other in a fiercesome battle to claim the stasis pod. The statistics seemed to be neutral until another robot joined the brawl, one that changed the tide for the Decepticons. 

"Master Gigatron," Scourge greeted his leader. "What are you doing here?"

Gigatron glared down at his favorite underling. "It was my spark energy that turned you into loyal Decepticons and it shall do the same for this pod," he stated calmly. "Without it, the protoform would most likely be an Autobot." 

"Of course, sire," Scourge replied, his optics narrowing in hatred. 

The Decepticon and Predacon commander initiated his spark energy, and fired it at the stasis pod. The blue energy consumed the pod for a few brief moments before settling and reprogramming the immature circuits of the protoform.

"MegaOctane, begin scanning," Gigatron ordered. 

The pod was recovered from the ground and aimed once more at the fighter jet. The second in command Decepticon punched in the necessary codes to activate the scanners, but nothing happened. He tried it again but the pod remained inactivate. 

"What are doing? Activate that pod!" Gigatron bellowed, firing his Twin Dragon Breath at the Autobots to stall for time, and to get in a few good licks. 

"I'm trying sir, but something's wrong. Nothing seems to be working," MegaOctane replied. 

"Oh no you don't," a familiar voice said from above, followed by an array of missiles. 

Ultra Magnus slowly descended from the sky, a smile across his faceplate. His attack had once again dislodged the stasis pod from MegaOctane's grasp, sliding it across the concrete. The rogue Autobot took his place beside the Autobot brothers and his own brother, preparing himself for the battle. 

"Do I have to do everything myself?" Scourge growled, storming over to the dormant protoform. As he approached it, he noticed a very familiar human girl between him and his target, her arms outstretched. Her eyes shone with determination as the Decepticon continued towards her, his heavy steps shaking the ground. 

"Pathetic human," Scourge snarled, stopping in his tracks before the pod and its protector. Pointing his spare gun at the female, he grinned behind his facemask. _I've been waiting to do this,_ he chuckled to himself. 

Squeezing back the trigger slowly, to add the effect, the dark transformer watched with pleasure as the human's face paled and her body tensed, waiting for the shot. The sound of the gunfire echoed across the military base, its deafening sound silencing everything. Autobots stared with wide optics and slack-jawed mouth components, while the Decepticons grinned broadly at the former's reaction. 

~~~

The eldest Autobot brother stood paralyzed as he observed his human friend about the get shot down by the enemy. The shock wore off once the shot was fired and he dashed towards Scourge, a deep scream erupting from his throat. As if in slow motion, X-Brawn realized his friend was still alive at about the same time she backed up into the pod, activating it. 

The stasis pod and the human were consumed with light as a bolt of energy blasted from the pod; the scanning process had begun. The green beam shot through the sky before arcing and racing back towards the ground. It whizzed past the transformers before striking a forest green motorcycle parked beside an old warehouse. 

X-Brawn lurched to a halt as the protoform began scanning the vehicle. He tried to find Alana but the light was too intense for his optics to focus on, so he was forced to simply hope. A sinister laugh reached his audio receptors, followed by a flash of blue light. The Autobot clenched his fists in frustration as Gigatron once again force his spark energy into the protoform's programming, attempting to alter its personality into that of a Decepticon. 

The Autobot's optics widened and his limbs tensed when a soft soprano voice rose above Gigatron's laugh, nearly drowning it out. The song sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it…

__

Win dain a lotica

En vai tu ri

Si lo ta

Fin dein a loluca

En dragu a sei lain

Va fa-ra les shutai am

En riga lint

That's when it hit him, the song was the one he'd heard at headquarters, the one Alana had translated for them. But this time something seemed different. The song continued instead of stopping like it had before, never breaking from its melodious rhythm. 

__

Win chent a lotica

En vai turi

Si lo ta

Fin dein a loluca

Si natigura neuver

Floreria for chesti

Si entima

The last word of this verse was held for four beats before morphing into the next line, never wavering from its beautiful pitch. 

__

Lalala…

Fontina blu cent

De cravi esca letisimo

Lalala…

De quantian

Al finder eve

By this time, Autobots and Decepticons alike stood with optics locked on the glowing stasis pod, mesmerized by the beautiful soprano voice emanating from it. 

__

Win dain a lotica

En vai tu ri

Si lo ta

Fin dein a loluca

En dragu a sei lain

Ve fa-ru les shutai am

En riga-lint

As the last word slowly faded, light exploded from the pod, encompassing everything within the military base. The ground shook with the force of the blast and a gust of wind nearly knocked over a few unsuspecting transformers. Above all else, a scream erupted from somewhere close, sending chills through everyone's frame. The scream sounded human at first but changed into something different, almost metallic and sinister-like.


	16. A New Troop! But For Which Side?

Hostile Territory

Chapter 16- A New Troop! But For Which Side?

Written by: Okami

__

~

She came calling

One early morning

She showed her crown of thorns

She whispered softly

To tell a story

About how she had been wronged

As she lay lifeless

He stole her innocence

And this is how she carried on

Lyrics: Wash Away Those Years_Creed

~

****

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

__

* * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Optimus Prime watched in horror as Gigatron's spark energy flashed around the stasis pod and their new human friend. He glanced nervously at the Decepticons and prayed that the protoform was still an Autobot and not the enemy, and that Alana would be safe. Light exploded from the pod, illuminating everything within range and forcing everyone to shield their optics from the intense brightness. The blinding light disappeared as quickly as it came; leaving the robots slightly stunned. 

Prowl was the first to shake off the effects and glanced cautiously at the new bot before running a quick check to make sure his brothers were still functional. 

In place of the stasis pod stood a motorcycle known commonly to humans as a 'Crotch Rocket'. Instead of having the passenger sit straight up, this model was designed so a human could lean forward and better use the speed at which the motorcycle could travel. Forest-green paint covered the cycle's frame, four silver exhaust pipes glimmered in the sun's rays, and two booster rockets accessorized the new machine. But, Alana was nowhere to be seen. This went unnoticed by all at that particular moment, for their attention was focused on the new robot. 

"Oh great, another Decepticon bozo," Ultra Magnus groaned, raising his gaze towards the heavens. 

"Hold on a minute," Optimus quickly added. "We don't know if he's a Decepticon or an Autobot yet." 

"Then why don't you go find out," Ultra Magnus challenged.

Optimus nodded his head, more to himself than anyone else, and slowly approached the motorcycle. He got within a few yards before the engine roared to life and a voice erupted,

"Transform!"

He watched as the motorcycle swiftly and fluidly morphed from a mere machine into a robot—a _female_ robot. Optimus felt his golden optics widen and was sure he heard just about everyone, Autobot and Decepticon alike, gasp in surprise. A dark green helmet similar to a hawk's beak angled down between the transformers purple optics, blocking her nose from sight. Her chest plate protruded more than any bot under his command (for obvious reasons), and her shapely hips accentuated her slim waist. 

All of this and more seriously distracted the Autobot leader from concentrating on the task at hand: convincing her to join the Autobots.

"Um, I'm Optimus Prime," he greeted, silently kicking himself for stuttering at such a crucial moment. Extending a hand he added, "As leader of the Autobots, I welcome you to Earth and your new home. I humbly ask that you join me and my Autobots."

The female bot made no move towards or away from the Autobot leader; she simply stared at him with her purple optics. Finally, she tentatively took a step forward and hesitantly lifted a mud brown hand. Her motions were jerky and unsure at first, but became smoother as her confidence grew.

~~~

Scourge snarled softly as the female bot slowly approached his look-alike rival. Stepping away from his fellow Decepticons, the tall, black robot strided closer to the two transformers. 

"I am Scourge, leader of the Decepticons. On behalf of my master Gigatron, I extend to you the offer to join us," he said smoothly, sending Optimus a sideways glare. 

Immediately, the female stopped and pinned her optics on him, her hand poised in midair. She cocked her head to the side as she looked at both robots before her. 

"Scourge?" she repeated, her voice smooth and soft. Turning to the Autobot leader, she added just as softly, "Optimus?" The female continued to glance at one then the other, not sure whom to trust. 

"What's going on?" MegaOctane whispered to his lord. "I thought she was supposed to be under your command?"

Gigatron sent him a sharp glare before returning his attention back to his most loyal Decepticon. "Apparently not," he growled. He watched the silent exchange of glances before finally loosing his patience. "Are you an Autobot or a Decepticon?!" he bellowed, startling the forest green robot. 

The female bot shifted her weight, placing her hands on her hips. She startled everyone by saying, in a sarcastic manner, 

"You don't have to yell. My audio receptors aren't broken, ya know." After a moment, she decided to answer Gigatron's question. "I honestly don't know which side I'm on. I don't even know that much about myself, much less what team I'm on." 

Scourge clenched his fists in frustration, trying extremely hard to keep his temper leashed. He never had much patience and this was weighing heavily on the overflow line. 

"Aww, come on," Sideburn piped up in his usual carefree tone. "You've got to have some idea of whose side you're on. Do you at least have a name?"

She nodded, a smile grazing her lips. "Suzuki," she responded. 

~~~

Prowl shifted his weight from foot to foot, his instincts screaming at him to get out of the area and fast. He knew this peaceful exchange would only last for long; Scourge's temper was beginning to show in his jerky movements and flashing optics. A shiver ran through his frame as his audio receptors picked up the female bot's voice. It was so silky, like nothing he had ever heard before. 

Taking a tentative step forward, he drew Suzuki's attention his way. "If you would accompany us to our base, we could run a systems check and help you to remember," he suggested, offering his hand as well. 

That was the last straw for Scourge. He whipped around and bombarded the Autobot brothers with his Barrage Attack. Several of the lasers found their mark while a few hit the ground near the enemy robots. 

"Decepticons, attack!" MegaOctane ordered, bending over and firing away his Twin Lasers assault.


	17. Suzuki's Hearfelt Welcome

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 17- Suzuki's Heartfelt Welcome

__

~

I know my name 'cause I say it proud

Everything I want I always do

Lookin' for the right track

Always on the wrong track

But are you catchin' all these tracks

That I'm laying down for you

Lyrics: Missundaztood_Pink

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

~~~

Ultra Magnus showed a lopsided smile as he joined in the fun with his Stun Cluster then proceeded to mow down Rollbar with his trusty machine gun BlueBolts. There had been too much talking and not enough action for his tastes. 

He made sure, however, to keep an optic on the female transformer since she had yet to choose a side. Something odd on her arm caught his attention, drawing him slightly from the battle. On Suzuki's right arm hid the Autobot symbol, but something was different about it. The symbol was usually curved and smooth, but this one seemed sharp and jagged…almost like the Decepticon insignia. 

It was then that Ultra Magnus realized that even though the female appeared to have the Autobot symbol, some of her circuits and programming had been altered by Gigatron's spark energy. The blue Autobot grunted as he felt his back take a hit. He muffled a curse at himself for allowing his thoughts to be distracted by the female and turned to fire on the Decepticon that had dared to fire upon him. 

Ultra Magnus was so involved in his battle that he instantly noticed RoTor and Movor leave the fight. Following their movements closely, he noticed them switch to their vehicle modes and take to the air. He thought they were simply going to produce an air attack until Scourge called out an order. 

"Take the female back to base, immediately!" Scourge's harsh voice hollered at his two Decepticon teammates. 

"Yes sir!" the two replied as one. They flew above the female transformer managed to entangle her in an energon net then haul her into the air. 

"Ultra Magnus!" Optimus cried out desperately. "You're the only one who can fly. Stop them!"

The blue Autobot shook his head, a frown on his face. "How many times do I have to tell you, Prime?! I don't take orders from you!" he snapped, firing more bullets into MegaOctane's tough metal frame. 

"Please! Ultra Magnus, please!" Optimus pleaded. 

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Magnus relented, taking flight after the helicopter and space shuttle. In no time at all he managed to catch the retreating Decepticons and their cargo. He watched as the female transformer thrashed around in the net, her legs protruding from the energon web. 

"That's it! I've had it with this!" he heard the female cry. "Claws of Steel!" Slender fingers became talons in mere astroseconds, able to cut the toughest metal. Using her clawed hands, the female managed to cut herself loose from the net, but then plunged towards the ground. She tried to slow her speed by spreading out her arms and legs, but could not possibly stop entirely. 

Ultra Magnus immediately stopped his pursuit of the two Decepticons and dived for the female. Energon coursed into his thrusters, adding extra speed to his descent. Small explosions sounded all around him as RoTor and Movor fired upon the blue Autobot, attempting to delay his rescue agenda. 

"Hang on!" he cried, pushing more power into his thrusters. The heat from his circuits began to feel uncomfortable against his back, but he ignored it, instead concentrating on the ever approaching ground and the transformer before him. 

Even though he was gaining speed and decreasing the distance between them, there was no way he could catch Suzuki before she became a pile of scrap embedded in the Earth at the speed he was going now. Sending one more surge of energy through his rocket thrusters, Ultra Magnus shot forward like a bullet and eliminated the remaining space between him and Suzuki. Placing one arm under her knees and the other around her back, the blue Autobot clutched the female close to his chest as he did a 180 and shot up towards the sky. 

Ultra Magnus gritted his teeth against the pain his circuits were now registering but he pushed it to the back of his mind, increasing his grip on the transformer in his arms. A yelp from Suzuki reminded him about his passenger and the fact that he had literally been crushing the transformer against him. 

"Sorry," he muttered, zooming past the two airborne Decepticons. " He shot by the two Decepticons so fast they spun in mid air, both donning the swirled eyes once they stopped whirl around in place. 

"Hang on tight."

Suzuki took him seriously and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging with all her might to her savior. She was amazed at the speed at which Ultra Magnus could fly, but steadily noticed a faint burning smell in the air. 

~~~

"Come back here you coward!" Movor shouted at Magnus. He fired another round of laser blasts before he managed to strike one of the rocket packs on the Autobot's back. A smile grazed his lips as smoke poured from the thruster and energon leaked from a small opening. 

Aiming for the small hole, the two Decepticons forced the metal around the thruster open and they managed to scorch some wires before Ultra Magnus landed. 

~~~

Ultra Magnus lowered himself onto the ground swiftly, not wasting anytime with being careful. He released Suzuki and ordered sharply for her to stay out of the way as he turned to face the descending Decepticons. 

Firing away with his trusty machine gun, he managed to drive away the enemy. Empty bullet casings littered the ground by his feet and steam escaped the barrels of Blue Bolts. 

"Who's the coward now!" he snorted after the retreating forms. Smoke streamed from Movor's wings and RoTor had serious trouble flying with three propellers instead of four. 

Magnus turned back to face the female transformer and found her standing away from him, her hands clasping two double barrel laser rifles. 

"What do you want?" she growled, her voice like ice. 

"What do I want?" Ultra Magnus repeated blankly, staring at the female. "I just saved your spark and you ask me what I want?" He shook his head. "No gratitude."

__

*Ultra Magnus, is everything all right?* a voice erupted from Magnus' comlink. The blue Autobot sighed irritably but replied that everything was fine. He said that he had defeated the two Decepticons and that Suzuki was right next to him. 

__

*Excellent. Meet us back at base ASAP.* Prime remarked, subconsciously making another order towards his slightly younger brother. 

"Ah, ah, ah," Ultra Magnus tisked. "I don't take orders from you, _remember_," he replied. 

__

*Do this as a favor for me.* Optimus corrected. 

"That's better. All right, we'll be there shortly," Magnus responded into his comlink before switching it off. 

"You have got to be kidding," Suzuki remarked, placing a hand on her hip and shifting her weight to the other foot. "I'm sorry, but if you think I'm going anywhere with anyone right now you've some bolts loose, wires crossed or somethin'."

__

I really don't need this right now, Ultra Magnus grumbled to himself. As he steadily approached the female, a glowing circle appeared behind him on the grassy ground. In one fluid motion, Suzuki was lifted off the ground and over Magnus' sturdy shoulder. _Prime owes me big time for this,_ he thought grimly as he jumped down into the Global SpaceBridge entrance with a flustered female pounding on his back. 

******

Prowl sighed once more and leaned back against the wall. He had been assigned the duty of meeting Magnus and Suzuki once they reached base. Not that he minded the task, but what was taking them so long! They should have been here at least a half-hour ago. He took a longing glance at the door that led to the recharge chambers, desperately wishing for a rest. Of course he would never admit that to anyone, since he was the one who was always pushing others to stay out on patrol longer than their shifts called for. 

"I said put me down! Don't _make_ me hurt you!" a feminine voice echoed through the SpaceBridge acceleration tunnel. 

"Oh pipe down, we're almost there," Magnus' voice responded gruffly, clearly not quite caring for his job at the moment.

Prowl had to choke down his laughter at seeing the all-prideful Ultra Magnus shouldering a squirming female transformer. He watched with amusement as Magnus strided down the long corridor, one hand over Suzuki's back to keep her in place and the other held her legs down to keep them from smacking him in the face or a certain sensitive area. 

"There, you deal with her," Magnus growled, literally dropped the female on her rear and stalking off towards his chamber. It had only been a few months since the Autobot had consented to staying at Headquarters, and the only Autobot happy about it was, and still is, his own brother Optimus. He stormed down the corridor and disappeared into his room, locking the door behind him. 

"Jerk," Suzuki muttered, wiping imaginary dust from her rear as she glared at the locked door of Magnus' room. She stuck her metallic tongue out before turning to the other robot in the room. "Who are you?" she asked, eyeing Prowl wearily.

"I'm Prowl. It is an honor to welcome you to Autobot Headquarters," he greeted, outstretching a hand. 

"Aww, a true gentle man," the female cooed, gently grasping Prowl's hand. "Suzuki's the name." 

"A pleasure to meet you Suzuki. Please allow me to escort you to your quarters," Prowl offered. It took much effort to keep his composure when Suzuki linked her arm with his as they walked down the halls of Autobot Headquarters. 

"So…where is everybody?" the female questioned aloud, looking down the many empty corridors. 

"They are out patrolling the city, keeping it safe from the Predacons and the Decepticons," Prowl responded, a bit of wistfulness in his tone. 

After a moment's silence, Suzuki asked softly, "And why aren't you out there with them?" 

Prowl glanced beside him then returned his attention back to where he was going. "I was given the duty of welcoming you to base and getting you settled."

Suzuki choked on her own laughter. "I'm sorry," she chuckled. "Is there anyone else still here who can show me around so that you can go on patrol? _Besides_ that jerk who brought me here?"

"Uh, well," Prowl stuttered, surprised by the transformer's kind gesture.

"I can help," a high pitched voice offered. A young girl suddenly appeared before the two robots, hovering a few feet off the floor. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tai."

"Wow, you guys are really polite," Suzuki remarked, giving her name as well. 

"It's all right Tai. I think I can-" Prowl began but stopped when Suzuki began tugging at his arm, leading him back the way they come. "What the…what are you doing?"

"You want to go patrol the city more than anyone, and now that Tai's offered to help-" Suzuki said, casting a smile at the hovering female. "-You can go do it." Finding it hard to pull the stubborn Autobot, she dropped his arm and began pushing on his back.

"But…my orders were to-"

"Oh, stop being so stubborn and go!" she said, emphasizing the last part by shoving Prowl's back a bit more forcefully. After some more 'persuasion', Suzuki watched Prowl reluctantly speed away down the SpaceBridge tunnel. 

"Now that that's done," she said, dusting off her hands. She reluctantly allowed a yawn to escape her as she turned to face the female hologram. Trying her best to look alert, she asked, "Could you please show me where my room is? I'm exhausted."

"Sure thing," Tai agreed. The hologram floated in the air the entire way, stopping every so often to make sure Suzuki was still following. A few times the female transformer was found gawking at something in the hall or peering down another corridor, but quickly resumed accompanying Tai. 

"Hold on a sec," Suzuki finally said, throwing her hands up. "I'm sorry, but there is something I have to ask."

"All right?" Tai replied hesitantly, not exactly sure what the question would be. 

Suzuki leaned forward and placed a hand close to her mouth, as if afraid she might be overheard. Whispering so softly that Tai had to lean closer to hear, she asked, "Do any other females stay here?"

Tai blinked a few times, a sweat drop sliding down the side of her head. 

"Why do you want to know that?" she asked, curious as to where the female was taking the conversation.

"This place is a pigsty. It's filthy!" Suzuki complained, rising to her full height. 

Tai blinked again before looking around her; what she saw took her breath away. Various metal parts lay strewn about the halls, dirt coated the floors, and dust covered all surfaces. She turned back to the female robot and saw a sly grin had spread across Suzuki's face. 


	18. Interesting Developments

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 18- Interesting Developments

__

~

Hey mom, there's something in the backroom   
I hope it's not the creatures from above   
You used to read me stories   
As if my dreams were boring   
We all know conspiracies are dumb 

Lyrics: Aliens Exist_Blink 182

~

**__**

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Sideburn hummed to himself as he sped through the Global SpaceBridge, his thoughts focused more on a certain little red sports car than where he was going. His blue paint sparkled under the tunnel's lights, producing a mini light show on the ceiling. 

The blue sports car continued down the long, straight tunnel towards base. A yawn loudly resonated from the car, indicating Sideburn was exhausted from his earlier patrol. 

"Oh, I can't wait to take a nice hot oil bath," he groaned, smiling at the thought. 

A bright circle appeared in front of him to signal that he was almost home. Sideburn, being the speed-demon that he is, continued at his neck breaking speed towards base. As soon as his wheels hit the hard floor of headquarters, he felt his back end fishtail. Panicking for a moment, the Autobot over corrected and flew into a total spin. He cried out in fear as he felt his entire frame sliding out of control down the acceleration tunnel. 

"Sideburn transform!" he hollered. The blue sports car fluidly morphed from an ordinary car into a towering robot. Sideburn unfortunately realized too late that the floor was too slick to stand on. His arms pinwheeled to maintain his balance as he felt himself leaning backwards. 

"Sideburn!" a startled voice cried. 

The young transformer focused his attention on Tai, forgetting about staying balanced, and unfortunately collided with the floor with a thump.

"Are you all right?" Tai asked, hovering merely inches from the tiled floor. 

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing a sore spot on his leg. "What's up with the floor? I can hardly stand."

Tai was about to explain when another startled shout echoed down the tunnel.

"What in tar nation?!" X-Brawn's country voice echoed down the tunnel, followed closely by the sound of tires skidding madly across the slick floor. 

Sideburn frantically waved his hands in a vain attempt to catch his brother's attention, but the latter had already transformed and was now sliding on his rear towards the young Autobot. The blue Autobot watched with wide optics as his elder most brother collided with him, sending them both to further slid on the floor in a jumbled heap. 

"What the heck is going on in here?" Ultra Magnus' annoyed voice questioned. The Autobot stood in the doorway and stared at the two brothers sprawled out on the floor. He pretended to cough then clear his throat in order to disguise his chuckle as he watched the two vainly attempting to stand. 

"Having trouble?" he mocked, grinning smugly. 

"Sorry about that you guys. Suzuki waxed the floor and she must have forgotten to tell everyone," Tai apologized, sending out a message to everyone else to beware the floor upon entering headquarters. 

"Why did she wax the floor?" Sideburn questioned, feeling the tiles with his hands. 

Tai shrugged. "She thought the place was filthy so she decided to clean up after you guys." She gave everyone a piercing glare. "Not that headquarters _needed_ a good cleaning with all of you _guys_ picking up after yourselves."

Sideburn and X-Brawn cleared their throats, unsettled by the tone in Tai's voice.

Ultra Magnus watched the two brothers cautiously tiptoe over to an exiting corridor, eager to escape the slippery tiles. Upon entering the room himself, Magnus found the floor very slick indeed; it took much effort to keep from letting on that he himself was his loosing footing. He shrugged off the sideways glance from Tai and continued on his way towards the SpaceBridge. 

As he left headquarters, he passed his brother and Prowl returning from their patrol duty. Magnus secretly wished to stop and observe how the two dealt with the newly waxed floor but decided it against it, more interested in leaving. He was never a fan of being part of a group, and Optimus' incessant requests were the only reason he had consented to staying at headquarters. He sighed heavily before entering the SpaceBridge, not really caring where it took him at the moment, as long as he was alone and away from Autobot HQ. 

******

**__**

~ Dream ~

Gun fire. Loud noises. Screams of pain. Evil laughter. The world seemed full of chaos with no light of hope. Giant robots fought each other with laser guns and hand to hand combat, no one side gaining the upper hand. 

A large shadow was cast across the battlefield. Everyone paused in their fighting to gaze at the new comer with cautious optics. The different sides separated to let the new bot walk among them, dividing the battleground. 

One robot stepped out away from his comrades and extended his hand to the stranger in a gesture of friendship. Another machine from the opposite side outstretched both hands, his ruby optics blazing for a moment. 

Ice purple optics stared harshly at both bots, deciding which group to join. The strange robot finally turned her back to the first one to greet her, and instead placed her mud brown hand in Scourge's. 

The commander of the Decepticons let out a low and evil chuckle as he gently placed a hand on her lower back, pulling the femme towards him. The two exchanged a passionate moment before turning their optics to the Autobots. 

"It is time Autobots," the dark transformers began roughly. 

"For your demise," the female finished, a sinister simile across her face. 

**__**

~ End Dream ~

******

Ultra Magnus meandered down the corridors of Autobot Headquarters, his face dark and angry, his movements jerky, and his footsteps echoed down the empty hall. He had just returned from the middle of nowhere, literally, by the request of his younger brother. The Autobot had growled and refused bitterly, but reluctantly agreed after much persuasion. Even the fact that every other Autobots in his path scrambled to get out of his way did not cheer him up; something that had always managed to please the tough robot in the past. 

"AHH!" a piercing scream echoed through headquarters. All transformers stopped in their tracks and looked around, startled by the unexpected and panicked noise. 

Ultra Magnus faltered in his walking but managed to keep his cool composure. After the initial shock wore off, he quickly raced down the hall towards the source of the scream. Another high-pitched cry erupted just ahead of him so he picked up the pace. As he turned a corner, the sound stopped, leaving everything in a deadly silence. He stopped in his tracks and listened; something wasn't right, he could feel it. 

The uncomfortable silence lasted for only a few moments before a loud CLANK sounded right next to the rogue Autobot. He turned to see a large dent in the door by his side; another one appeared soon after followed by a frustrated cry. Magnus was about to knock on the door when another scream erupted from within and one more dent appeared in the thick metal door. The object thrown against the door apparently hit the control panel and the door slide open, revealing the disaster area within. 

Various objects were strewn about the chamber, along with shards of the wall and door. Suzuki lay on her recharge platform, her optics powered down but her body thrashing around. Tiny bolts of blue lightening streaked across her body causing her limbs to tense for uncomfortable stretches of time. Moans and occasional cries resounded from her lips as she tossed and turned. Droplets of fluid leaked from her optics down her cheeks, giving them a sorrowful shine. 

What seemed the oddest about the situation was Suzuki's Autobot symbol. It appeared to be giving off a bright glow as it twisted and became distorted. The metal under and around the insignia appeared to be alive as it wriggled and moved, giving the impression of worms burrowing through mud. 

Even though the femme appeared to be recharging, she still managed to grasp things and throw them about the room. Suzuki's metal hand wrapped around a fragment of broken chair and chucked at the door, only now Ultra Magnus was in its place. The Autobot ducked just in time to avoid having a piece of chair leg imbedded in his face. 

Ultra Magnus carefully picked his way towards the recharge bed and hesitantly reached out his hand. He attempted to wake the female by slightly touching her shoulder but only managed in making her turn on her side. Feeling very awkward, he turned to leave when sobbing broke out from behind him. 

"No, that's not me. I'm not like that. No," Suzuki muttered between sobs. 

Magnus watched her cautiously as she cried and spoke in her sleep. He was so absorbed in her mutterings that he did not have time to react when she suddenly leapt from the bed towards him. The blue Autobot nearly stumbled as the weight of Suzuki's metal frame crashed against his chest. Instead of trying to bolt out the door like he had thought, the femme continued to sob into his chestplate and even wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. 

Ultra Magnus could feel his circuits growing hot and his temper along with them. No one had ever touched him like this before; not even own his brother had dared to hug him. He was unsure what to do in this situation, so he allowed Suzuki to cry a few moments more. 

When the female Autobot stopped her sobbing, Magnus cleared his throat, still feeling quite uncomfortable. Suzuki lifted her head and gazed into his golden optics, recognition not registering in her face. Once she realized whom she was hugging, however, her optics widened and her face glowed red. The femme slowly removed her arms from Ultra Magnus' waist and backed away until she was leaning against the wall, all the while starring at the floor in embarrassment. She lifted her optics just long enough to see a humorous grin spread across the Autobot's faceplate. 

"Don't say a word," she growled, completely humiliated at having hugged the 'jerk' that brought her here. 

*_Ultra Magnus, where are you? I called the meeting two earth hours ago._* Optimus Prime's voice boomed over the comlink. 

Magnus rolled his optics. "Yeah, okay. I'll be there in a few. Don't blow a gasket Prime."

__

*Oh, and would you please escort Suzuki to the meeting since she does not yet know the way?* the Autobot leader's voice asked, making a conscious effort to not order his brother. 

Ultra Magnus' grin deepened. "Sure thing, Prime." 


	19. Strange Situations

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 19- Strange Situations 

__

~

Hey mom, there's something in the backroom   
I hope it's not the creatures from above   
You used to read me stories   
As if my dreams were boring   
We all know conspiracies are dumb 

Lyrics: Aliens Exist_Blink 182

~

****

Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

__

Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

_*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

Optimus Prime sighed for about the hundredth time as he waited for his brother's arrival. He had called everyone into headquarters to make the introductions go smoother, but he wondered if Magnus would ever arrive with the new Autobot. Prime watched everyone talk amongst themselves while they waited, each passing the time with senseless chatter. A few fragments of conversation fluttered his way, but they were of no importance or interest to him. Drumming his fingers against his crossed arms, he continued waiting.

The sound of heavy footsteps finally echoed in the Autobot leader's audio receptors. He silently thanked his brother but took it back once Magnus entered the room. 

Ultra Magnus once again had Suzuki over one shoulder only this time she wasn't struggling. With fingers drumming on the rouge mech's back and one hand supporting her chin, the femme displayed an irritated expression as she waited for the Autobot to put her down. 

"Ultra Magnus, what's going on?" Optimus Prime asked once his brother stopped before him. 

"What?" Magnus questioned innocently. "She refused to come quietly. Would you rather me have come empty handed?"

Prime sighed, placing a hand over his face. "Just put her down Magnus."

Ultra Magnus shrugged and dumped Suzuki on her butt for the second time that day. He did not wait for any comment or response before turning on his heel and heading for the nearest exit. 

Suzuki rubbed her rear and watched Ultra Magnus go with narrow optics. Instead of charging him like she wanted, the female robot was disciplined enough to merely shake her fist at his retreating form then turn her back to him. She forced a cheerful smile and looked at Optimus Prime, waiting for him to say something. The femme soon realized the uncomfortable silence filling the room and her smile weakened, but remained on her face. Everyone seemed to be staring at her and the attention was really nerve wracking. 

"So," Suzuki started, clearing her throat before continuing. "What's this meeting all about?"

"Um, uh, yes," Optimus stuttered. "Everyone, this is our newest recruit, Suzuki," he began, motioning towards the femme. He then waved a hand over everyone else and continued with, "And these are your fellow Autobots." Optimus Prime continued by mentioning everyone by name. 

"Nice to meet you," Suzuki greeted, her smile returning. When no one returned the greeting she crossed her arms across her chestplate. "What's the matter? Haven't you guys seen a female before?" 

******

The next few months went by extremely slow, with every Autobot except Ultra Magnus uncomfortable around the new femme. It wasn't that she had cooties or anything, it was just…well…she was a _girl_ and they were all males. Not being around females in a while made a guy feel weird and uncomfortable, especially when Suzuki was the outgoing type and would just walk up to someone and chat with them or give them a friendly punch on the arm. 

Luckily for Suzuki, the Autobots warmed up to her fairly quickly once she began fighting by their side. They soon realized that she was just as boyish as the rest of them and could handle herself just fine in a tight spot. The fact alone that she could stand her ground against Scourge, leader of the Decepticons and fiercest fighter next to Gigatron, was enough to give her a good reputation around headquarters. 

******

The day started out like all the others before it—the sun shining, clear blue sky, and the ever-present battle between Decepticons and Autobots over the Earth's energy. Only this time it was slightly different, the Autobots had one more warrior on their side. 

Suzuki fought just as ruthlessly as the men did, perhaps worse. Using her quad-barrel laser rifle, she bore holes into the enemy's armor. The weapon was also able to split to form two double-barrel laser rifles for added firepower. If for some reason her guns failed to bring down the enemy, she would confront them with her bare hands.

Actually, her hands were considered lethal weapons to the Decepticons. When provoked, Suzuki would use her 'Claws of Steel' attack; her fingers became talons capable of tearing through nearly the toughest armor. The Decepticons would often retreat a safe distance before confronting her when she was using this attack. Luckily for them, she rarely used it since she preferred her laser rifles any day. 

Anyway, this particular day the Decepticons decided to raid yet another power plant, trying to steal more energy for their master Gigatron. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by the Autobots so Prime dispatched himself and the Autobot brothers to the plant. He had not ordered Suzuki to accompany them but she was in the neighborhood and decided to lend her assistance. 

"Hold it right there, Decepticons!" Prowl shouted after bursting from spacebridge. "Prowl transform!"

"Sideburn transform!"

"X-Brawn transform!"

A bright circle of light appeared on the ground behind the Autobot brothers and out flew Optimus Prime and Suzuki, both ready for a fight. The two quickly transformed and stood by their companions. 

"I will not allow you to steal the Earth's energy," Prime declared. 

"We'll see about that," Scourge replied gruffly. "Decepticons attack!"

That one command began the battle of the day between the two groups. Optimus Prime faced off against MegaOctane, while the Autobot Brothers fought RoTor, Movor, Rollbar, and Armorhide. Scourge, surprisingly, challenged Suzuki to a fight instead of his rival Optimus Prime. 

"Prepare to eat laser, Decepticon," Suzuki growled, aiming her laser rifle at Scourge's chestplate. When her opponent made no move to defend himself against the attack, her finger hesitated on the trigger. 

"Don't toy with me," she hissed. 

"Can't you feel it? Can't you feel the Decepticon power flowing through your circuits?" Scourge asked suddenly. Catching a glimpse of her insignia, he added, "I can see it in your symbol. You are Autobot, yes, but you are also Decepticon. You are one of us."

Suzuki stared at the crazy transformer. "What are you talking about? I'm an Autobot. Period. I'm not a cold-hearted Decepticon like you. I'm nothing like you." 

Scourge began saying something else, but his comments fell on deaf audio receptors. Suzuki gritted her teeth together as pain shot through her arm, almost causing her to drop her gun. Her right arm felt weird, to the point of uncomfortably painful. The metal around her Autobot symbol moved and wriggled, giving off the appearance of worms under the skin. 

"See, even your programming wishes to return to its true side, the side of the Decepticons," Scourge said smoothly, slowly approaching the female. 

"Stay back!" Suzuki cried, firing her rifle by his feet. It took much effort for her to pull the trigger, since something inside of her repelled her from firing the weapon. "I will never join you," she growled. An image of her recent dream flashed across her thoughts. 

"NEVER!" Suzuki roared, bombarding her adversary with laser pellets. 

Scourge was so surprised by the outburst he took a few steps back and nearly tripped over his own feet when a bullet exploded in front of him. His ruby optics flashed in anger as he drew his sword and prepared to fight. He watched cautiously as his enemy placed her weapons back in their sheaths, her own optics flashing mysteriously. 

"I will never join you," she whispered, clenching her fists. When they relaxed, her fingers were now sharp talons hungry for transformer flesh. 

Scourge charged with sword flashing and quickly gained the upper hand, his experience in battle serving him well. He got in a couple of good licks before something flickered in Suzuki's optics, then her entire fighting strategy changed. She became more ferocious and wild. The Decepticon commander noticed her senses seemed keener and could dodge his blows as well as manage to take advantage of his few mistakes. 

"Don't you know it's rude to hit a lady?" an all-too familiar voice asked. 

Scourge whirled around just in time to receive an array of bullets to his chestplate. He attempted to battle with both Suzuki and Magnus but failed miserably, as was Ruination against so many Autobot adversaries. The wise leader finally called for a retreat and fled the battle, muttering curses under his breath. 

~~~

Ultra Magnus silently huffed at seeing the enemy retreat. It seemed he had only just arrived when the battle ended. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he turned to leave the area when a disgruntled clearing of the throat caught his attention. Turning back around, he came face to face with…nothing? Lowering his gaze, however, he locked optics with an irritated femme. 

"What the hell was that?" she asked loudly, standing on her tiptoes in attempts to be at his optic level. Unfortunately, she failed and only managed to stare at his neck instead of his chestplate.

Magnus seemed to blink a few times before realization finally hit him. A grin spread across his face upon understanding that Suzuki did not appreciate his assistance. He took a few moments to organize his thoughts before answering the femme's irritated question. 

"I was battling the Decepticons. You got a problem with that?" he asked, making it sound more like a challenge then an actual inquiry. 

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, I do have a problem with that. Especially when it involves _my_ battles," Suzuki countered quickly. 

By this time, the Autobot brothers had gathered around them, confused expressions on their faceplates. They watched as Ultra Magnus continued to goat the femme even when she demanded that he drop it. 

"So what exactly were you two talking about?" Magnus inquired, a humored smirk flickering across his face. "It must have been important if you didn't want any help." 

"What I say and do is no business of yours," Suzuki growled. Turning on her heel, she stormed away from Ultra Magnus, her face dark with anger. 

Ultra Magnus watched the female's retreating form with much thought. He silently compared the actions of her when he'd first met her between those of now; they were obviously different. The femme was more forceful, aggressive, snappy—more Decepticon like. Magnus did manage to catch a glimpse of her Autobot symbol before she disappeared through the Spacebridge, his optics widening as he did so. The insignia appeared distinctly more Decepticon with fewer traces of Autobot resemblance than before. 

__

I'll have to keep my eye on her, he thought, following the others into the spacebridge. _She may be on our side but there's definitely something strange going on._


	20. The Turning of the Tide

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 20- The Turning of the Tide

_~_

_I spent a day by the river_

_It was quiet and the wind stood still_

_I spent some time with nature_

_To remind me of all that's real_

_It's__ funny how silence speaks sometimes when you're alone_

_And remember that you feel_

_Again I stood against the Faceless Man_

_Lyrics: Faceless Man_Creed_

_~_

**_Authors Note_**: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission. 

_Helpful Hints_: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

             ~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

                         _*_ * - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

The Autobots meandered calmly down the acceleration tunnel at HQ, all except X-Brawn who made a beeline for the Teletran 1. He conversed with Tai for a moment before turning to his siblings with a defeated countenance.

"Nothing. Still nothing," he relayed. "Con found it! Where could she be? It's not like this planet that awful big!"

Prowl and Sideburn shrugged their shoulders in response. For the past few months, Tai had been searching relentlessly for any trace of Alana, but each search concluded with nothing. The Autobot brothers exchanged sad expressions before retreating down separate halls. 

Suzuki watched them go with a curious expression. She questioned to Prime what was up and when he responded, immediately regretting asking. 

"Oh," she responded, laughing nervously. 

"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked, seeing how his underling seemed unnerved.

"No, no, I'm fine," Suzuki replied quickly, rubbing the back of her neck. She quickly excused herself from the main room to escape the uncomfortable situation, but not without being under Ultra Magnus' scrutinizing gaze. 

******

Wedge strolled down an empty hall of HQ, a smile across his face for no particular reason; he was just happy today. The young transformer hummed to himself a catchy human tune as he continued down the corridor towards Teletran 1 where he knew Optimus would be. The head of the Build Team and youngest commander of a team of Autobots had a question to ask his leader about the amount of battle assignments, or lack there of, that they had carried out in the past month; which were few to none. 

As his large feet stomped down the corridor, a faint sound reached his audio receptors. It sounded strangely familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on where he'd heard it before. Pausing in his walking, Wedge listened intently to the soft humming, his head cocked in concentration. Realization suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks: this was the same song he'd heard in the tunnels! 

The young Autobot crept silently down the hallway like a predator stalking prey. His heavy feet made surprisingly little noise as he followed the soprano voice. His pursuit was sometimes hindered by the separation of the hallway into two other corridors, making the decision harder since the voice seemed to be coming from every direction. 

Trusting his instincts, or whatever the equivalent for robots is, Wedge chose one path and soon found the source of the song. He was about to turn another corner when the floor creaked under his weight, sending a chill up his frame. The young Autobot flattened himself against the wall, his optics wide and spark pounding furiously. 

_What if something really big and nasty is around that corner?_ he thought to himself. _No. A voice that beautiful can't be dangerous. But, then again…._ Wedge shook his head. Gathering his courage, he whirled around the corner and shouted, 

"Gottcha!" 

"Ah!" a startled cry erupted from in front of him. Wedge blinked in surprise upon seeing the new recruit standing with one hand on her chest and the other on the wall for support. She was breathing quickly and was staring at him with wide optics. 

"What the heck was that for?" she asked demandingly. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else," Wedge apologized. Glancing around the otherwise empty corridor, he scratched his head in confusion. 

"Did you happen to see anyone else around here?" he asked. 

Suzuki shook her head. "Nope, just me. Why?"

"Well, I heard this song and I was wondering who was singing it," the Autobot replied, a look of defeat crossing his face. 

The femme nodded her head in understanding. "What did it sound like?" she asked. 

Wedge scratched his head while he thought, a nervous grin spreading across his face. "I'm not entirely sure," he admitted after a bit. "It sounded different than the normal Earth tongue, if that helps at all." 

Suzuki smiled kindly. "I'll keep my audio receptors open in case I hear something." She chatted a few moments longer before continuing on her way. 

******

Scourge grumbled to himself as he stormed through the halls of the Decepticon base, his temper barely able to be leashed. _That overgrown windbag!_ he roared silently. _Just wait. One day I'll be in command and he won't **dare** speak to me that way. That pile of scrap!_ Scourge let out a strangled bellow as he drove his clenched fist deep into the wall, pretending it was a certain mech's face. 

"How dare he!" he growled between clenched mouth components. "Gigatron will regret this day for megacycles to come." Recalling the conversation between himself and his leader earlier only made his temper flare that much more. 

For some reason, unbeknownst to anyone but Gigatron himself, the Predacon leader decided to berate Scourge more than usual for his failure earlier that day. He even went so far as to strike the Decepticon commander! Scourge once again leashed his horr0id temper and bowed before his master, begging for forgiveness, all the while pondering ideas of how to dismantle the worthless scrap heap before him. The only reason he stayed by Gigatron's side was because of the spark energy that bound them. 

A thought suddenly struck him. It was so obvious he growled at himself for not having thought of it sooner. If Gigatron's spark energy had made him a Decepticon and a slave, then _his_ energy should do the same. Scourge allowed a smile to crease his face, under the ever-present facemask of course. 

_There's only one bot capable of aiding in my plans of conquest,_ he thought maliciously. _And she'll be easy to persuade with her circuits already influenced by the Decepticons._ Scourge's shoulders began to quake with barely suppressed excitement. His brilliant mind immediately began planning the trap for the femme, examining every possible scenario. Devilish laughter erupted from his vocal unit as he selected the perfect scheme, arranging to put it immediately into affect. 

******

Suzuki sighed in boredom, once again strolling the halls of Autobot HQ. With the Decepticons unusually quiet as of late, there was nothing to do but sit around and wait. Despite her desires to 'burn some rubber', she reluctantly obeyed Prime's orders of staying indoors and out of sight from humans. 

The Autobot leader was not keen on the idea of her going out and being an open target for not only the Decepticons but also human stares. It wasn't everyday that a motorcycle could operate without the aid of a human passenger. The suggestion of Koji as the driver was quickly shot down bearing the fact that the human was way too far under the age limit, much to the dismay of the boy. 

This forced the femme to remain at base and meander aimlessly around in hopes of finding something to pass the time. She'd already played games with Sideburn and the Build Team, competed in mini races with Team Bullet Train and Skid-Z, and helped Prowl review the many police codes and regulations; there just wasn't anything else to do around here! She'd even attempted to strike up a conversation with Ultra Magnus as an escape from the boredom, only to find him grumpy and not one to talk much; that had pretty much shot her last hope at some sort of entertainment. The next best thing to do was either recharge or exercise and she'd done both so much her joints ached and her energon reserves were full to the point of bursting. 

Her thoughts then wandered to X-Brawn and his search for the human girl who'd saved his life. Alana, a simple Earthling, saved the spark of a mech in danger, risking her own life in the process. _I wish I could ease the pain in his CPU,_ she thought quietly. _But then I'd be revealing too much, way too much. _

Suzuki sighed regretfully. She desperately wished to ease his sorrow, but simply could not risk it at this point in time. _Later_, she told herself, _just not now_. The femme tried to change the course of her thoughts, but was interrupted by a sharp pain seizing the upper part of her right arm. Clutching her arm near the elbow, she gritted her mouth components together as another wave swept over her, this time down her entire arm. A hiss escaped her lips when her hand fell into uncontrollable spasms, her fingers moving of their own accord in positions that would make other bots cringe. Lowering herself to one knee, the femme hoped the less elevation would help relieve the pain, but to no avail. 

The painful experience lasted all of three minutes tops yet it seemed like excruciating hours. Fluid leaked from her optics as she struggled to regain her breath while at the same time testing the regained control over her arm. _What the hell was that?_ she thought, filling her robotic lungs with air. 

~~~

His heavy footsteps echoed down the long, and as always, empty halls of HQ. Sighing in content, Prowl reflected on the day's work well accomplished. He had assisted in three car chases that ended in success, located five parking violations for Towline, and even managed to keep his reckless brother Sideburn under control for the better part of the day; that is until the latter spotted a certain red sports car. Allowing a rare smile to cross his features, the police car Autobot continued toward his destination of his chambers to take the nice hot oil bath his joints begged for. 

Turning a corner, the smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by an expression of surprise and concern when his optics locked onto a kneeling form in the middle of the hallway. Instantly noticing the mech was the new recruit, millions of questions raced through his mind in the few seconds before he opened his mouth. _What is she doing on the floor? Is she all right? What happened? Does she need medical attention?_

"Are you all right?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Kneeling down beside her, Prowl quickly took note of everything noticeable: the fluid leaking from her optics, her heavy breathing, and the fact that she was clutching her right arm to the point of denting her frame. 

"Yup. I'm fine," Suzuki replied, straining a bit to get the words out between gasps. "No problem here." 

Prowl frowned at this. "I think Tai should take a look at your arm," he pushed, helping the femme to stand. The female mech casually released her arm from her vise-like grip, pretending to be oblivious towards his reason of concern. 

Suzuki looked him straight in the optic, a smile crossing her face. "You're so sweet. But really, nothing's wrong." 

Prowl's face grew suddenly hot from the comment. It took much discipline to compose him once more and luckily Suzuki did not seem to notice the slip in his poise. 

She could tell by Prowl's determined look that she'd have to lie better then that and come up with a good reason for her actions. "I just pulled something while training earlier, it's really nothing to worry about." 

He knew she was lying so the question remained why she wasn't telling him the truth? "If it was earlier in the day, then your internal systems would have begun repairing it immediately and it shouldn't be bothering you now. And if that truly were the case, then Tai should run a systems' scan to make sure your internal repair program is operating efficiently." 

Suzuki's smile never faltered but her mind was shifting her weight nervously. "Oh, would ya look at the time, I was scheduled to go on patrol over 30 cycles ago. I'd better get going. See ya!" she said quickly, transforming and racing down the hall towards Teletran 1 and the Global Spacebridge. 

It wasn't until the femme had already left the base did it dawn on Prowl that she wasn't supposed to leave the base. Placing his head in his hands, the Autobot decided to track down Tai and have a bulletin released to watch for Suzuki. 

******

Ultra Magnus grumbled to himself while activating his scanners. Why he was helping his brother was beyond his comprehension at the moment. All he knew was that he was searching for the femme per Prime's suggestion and bring her back to base before something happened to her. The Autobot leader would have ordered her to return to base, but the blasted femme had turned off her comlink. It was also beyond him why Optimus was so worried about the female. It wasn't like she couldn't handle herself in a battle, because she had certainly proven that thought false many a time. 

His scanners located the motorcycle robot with as much problem as the finding water in an ocean; this is taking into account the fact that his scanners are the best of the Autobots. Magnus grumbled once more when he noticed his target was moving in the opposite direction he was headed, that meant he would have to turn around. _Blast it,_ he muttered, making a U-turn at the next available area. And of course, she had to be cruising one of the few dirt roads in the area, which meant he'd get his newly waxed frame scratched up. _This is just not my day._

He wasn't but 100 yards of his target when another dot appeared on his scanners, but this had a different signal, one of a Decepticon. Ultra Magnus slowed down slightly to lengthen the distance between them. He was not sure if the enemy was headed towards a target of their own, or if they were simply out for a joy ride; either way, Magnus now had two objectives to follow. 

******

Suzuki sighed to herself as she ate up the gravel beneath her tires. The fresh air, the sunshine, the feel of something other than tiles under her feet just felt so refreshing! She could not explain how good it felt to get out and be free for awhile, even if it was limited, she didn't care. As long as she had a few hours to herself, to do what she wanted, all was good. And all she wanted right now was to feel the wind blow past her. 

The femme was so enthralled by being outside again that she almost didn't notice the large oil tanker pull into her lane. It was then that she noticed her scanners detecting a Decepticon in the premise, and it was right in front of her. Suzuki refrained from enticing a battle only because the oil tanker flashed its brake lights at her then engaged its turn signal. Ignoring her instincts, she followed the Decepticon leader up a windy dirt path to a clearing. 

"Suzuki transform!" 

"Scourge transform!" 

The two robots donned their robot forms and stood before one another, both with no weapons in hand to ensure the peaceful exchange of words, for the moment anyway. 

"Yes?" Suzuki began. "What do you want?"

Scourge, without saying a word, extended his hand. His ruby optics sparkled mysteriously when the femme gave him an odd look. 

"Join me," the Decepticon offered. "Become a Decepticon and rule by my side." 

Suzuki narrowed her optics. "What about the others? And your master Gigatron?" 

Scourge snorted in hatred at the mention of his lord's name. "Forget them. Once we join forces Gigatron will be scrap, nothing but a pile of junk the way he should be." 

The femme was obviously taken back by this display of hatred from the enemy for her optics widened considerably. They returned to slits, however, when the Decepticon began approaching her. She reached for her two guns by her side and had them charged and aimed by the time Scourge had managed one more step. 

"You already have my answer, Scourge," she growled, easing her finger on to the trigger. "Take it and go." 

Scourge shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that won't do. You see, I always get what I want." 

It was Suzuki's turn to snort. "Not this time," she muttered, taking aim. 

"That's not a very Autobot thing to do," Scourge mocked, holding up his hands surrender style. "Shooting an enemy with no weapons." 

The femme's fingers hesitated on the trigger. _He's right! An Autobot would never shoot an unarmed opponent. What am I thinking!?_ She fastened her guns back on her thighs. 

"You see," the Decepticon continued, taking a few more steps forward. "You are a Decepticon, your actions betray you Suzuki." 

"We have nothing further to discuss, Scourge," the Autobot replied. Doing a very foolish thing, she turned her back to the enemy and began to withdraw towards the nearby forest. 

Scourge grinned wickedly as he watched her retreating form. He concentrated deeply on his spark energy, forcing it to shoot a burst at the Autobot. A few seconds later, a blast of blue spark energy shot forth from the Decepticon's chest, straight for the femme. 

Suzuki whirled around at the sudden sound, optics widening in the process. Before she could even compute what was happening, a blow to her chestplate sent her reeling to the ground. 

Struggling to one knee, the female mech attempted to stand but the pain in her entire frame prevented her from doing so. 

"Ultra Magnus transform!" a familiar voice shouted, followed by the pleasing sounds of a transformation. Suzuki tried once more to stand, only to have pain streak through her circuits, almost causing her to go off line. 

The rogue Autobot fired round after round at the Decepticon leader, his gun beginning to smoke from the exertion. He managed to call for backup while at the same time dodge Scourge's Sword of Fury. Magnus ducked the attack and landed an uppercut into the latter's jaw component, buying him just enough time to land a solid kick to Decepticon's chestplate. 

Scourge's optics burned brightly as he recovered from the double assault. Energizing his sword, the mech charged his enemy once more. With his anger fueling his strength, the Decepticon sliced through Magnus' left arm, leaving a nasty looking gash. He didn't pause in his attack, however, and also landed a blow to the Autobot's side, nearly missing some major components. 

The stubborn Autobot collapsed to the ground, gripping his side as energon flowed freely from the wound. _Something's not right. I should be able to take him no problem. Where is he getting his strength?_

"Prowl transform!"

"Sideburn transform!"

"X-Brawn transform!"

"Combustion Missiles!"

"Exhaust Backfire!"

"Bronco Blast!"

The Autobot brothers shot forward from the Spacebridge and unloaded their weapons on the Decepticon. X-Brawn and Sideburn raced to Ultra Magnus, giving the rogue much needed relief, while Prowl kneeled by Suzuki's side. 

~~~

"Are you alright?" Prowl asked, kicking himself for asking such a stupid question. The fact that the femme couldn't even stand was enough to tell him she was injured. 

"Just fine. No problem here," Suzuki struggled, a grin across her lips. She opened her mouth component to say something else but never even started when her optics dimmed and her body went limp, collapsing into Prowl's unsuspecting arms. 

The police car Autobot was caught off guard by the sudden change in her status but quickly regained his composure. That is, of course, after forcing away the sudden heat that had formed in his cheeks. Prowl placed one of her arms around his neck and supported her weight as they stood, finding this to be much harder than he originally had thought; she was heavier than she looked! Glancing at the status of his brothers, he began making his way towards the open portal of the spacebridge. 

"Our mission is complete. Fall back," he ordered in his cop-like voice. 

The two other Autobot brothers followed suit, bearing the brunt of Magnus' heavy bulk between them. Even though he was injured and being carried away, the rogue was able to provide cover for the retreating siblings with his trusty Blue Bolts. A cloud of dust granted the Autobots enough time to accomplish a safe withdraw back to base. 

Scourge watched their retreat, a smirk spreading across his dark face. They may have been able to reclaim her body, but they will never be able to reclaim her mind. The Autobots could repair her battered frame, but never her corrupted circuits. She was now his. The Decepticon leader let out a howl a triumph before laughing hysterically. 

"Your days are numbered Gigatron! Soon I will be in command and you will be reduced the scrap heap that you are!" he bellowed in glee, optics flaring brightly. 

****Important Note****

            I will going to Hawaii for a week starting July 5th and ending July 12th, so the next updated may come later than planned.  Thanks for understanding.


	21. Treachery In A Friendly Mask

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 21- Treachery In A Friendly Mask

_~_

_When I pretend_

_Everything is what I want it to be_

_I look exactly like what you had always_

_Wanted to see_

_When I pretend_

_I can forget about the criminal I am_

_Stealing __second after second_ just 'cause__

_I know I can_

_Lyrics: Lying From You_Linkin Park_

_~_

**_Authors Note_: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission.  **

_Helpful Hints_:  ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons

                        ~~~      - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery

                                   _*_   *       - Indicates a comlink conversation

******

            Tai's repair drones hovered over the offline form of Suzuki, relaying beeps and blips back to the main computer for analysis.  They would have been fussing over Ultra Magnus as well, but the stubborn mech had said he could wait until the major repairs on the femme were complete before it was his turn.  The hologram of Teletran 1 didn't even bother arguing due the seriousness of Suzuki's injuries.  

"Major circuitry overloaded."

"Energy nearly depleted. Beginning recharge now."

"Systems nearing stasis lock."

"Spark experiencing overload!"

This and other bad news flowed from the repair bots.  After the full analysis was completed, Tai began the mend the broke femme.  The female hologram worked diligently for almost a megacycle, having to call in the backup drones to give the others a rest.  

Tai hovered over the medical bay, examining the finished product.  A smile of satisfaction began to graze her lips, but something stopped it.  She wasn't sure what it was, but something was wrong; but what?  

~~~

            "She'll be fine. Right now she needs to rest for at least two Earth days before she should even begin to think about moving around," Tai instructed the Autobot team.  She went on to explain the seriousness of her injuries but neglected to mention the strange sensation she had felt; it just did not seem worth bringing up at the time.  

Turning her attention to the rogue Autobot, she put on her determined façade.  

"All right Ultra Magnus. It's your turn now."  

~~~

            Magnus clenched and unclenched his hand a few times to test the mobility of the repair job; it was satisfactory.  He moved his arm around in search of sore spots only to find none; Tai had done her job well.  The blue Autobot turned his head sharply upon hearing someone clear their throat and came face to face with his slightly older brother.  

Prime smiled from behind his faceplate, wishing to converse with Magnus like a brother.  He could not remember the last time the two of them had acted like brothers; it'd been so long ago.  Now it seemed like all they ever did was fight over the matrix or battle the Decepticons and Predacons.  If only Magnus could see…all he wanted was a brother, not this constant bickering.  

Optimus was brought out of his thoughts by a low groan belonging to Ultra Magnus.  

"Are you here to talk or just stare at the wall all day?" the rogue Autobot asked impatiently.  "Cause I've got better things to do than stand around here."

"Yes, I'm sure you do," trying his best to sound sincere.  "I just wanted to talk with you about the battle today. You were there before anyone else and know exactly what happened."  

Magnus sighed heavily and glanced towards the ceiling, similar to a human rolling their eyes.  

"I was tracking her down as you so nicely asked when Scourge showed up and led her away to talk. I followed but stayed out of sight. They talked for a few minutes about the femme joining the Decepticons, but she refused. Scourge fired some kind of blue energy from his chest at her when her back was turned and that's when I entered. Scourge seemed unusually juiced when I fought him, as you could see," Magnus held up his now fully repaired arm as a demonstration.  "That's about it. Are we finished?"  

Prime's head was bent as he absorbed the information.  

"You're sure the energy was blue? And it came from Scourge's chest?" he asked, lifting his head.

Magnus nodded.  "Why? Is that important?"

"I'm not sure," Prime lied.  "But we should keep an eye on her just in case."

_You've always been a horrible liar, Prime_ he thought, shaking his head.  The comment, did however, trigger something in Magnus' memory banks.  He thought about mentioning the femme's mutated symbol but was beaten by an alarm blaring in his audio receptors.  

"We have a breach in security! I repeat, we have a breach in security!" a robotic voice announced over the intercom system.   

_*A Decepticon has been located inside headquarters!!*_ Tai's voice nearly screamed from Prime's comlink.  _*It's positioned in the medical bay.*_

"Who is it Tai?" the Autobot leader asked.  

_*I can't tell. The signal is definitely Decepticon, however, I am not able to distinguish who it is.*_

"Affirmative. On my way," Prime replied, now fully aware his brother was already on his way.  Following in hot pursuit, the two brothers raced towards the medical bay, blasters charged and ready.  Their heavy footsteps shook the foundation as they stormed through the corridors, joined by the other Autobots nearby.  Together, they slowed and crept towards the medical bay, their large feet making surprisingly little noise on the tiled floor.  

Prime was the first to enter to area, his sensors on full alert.  Broken glass crunched under his feet as he carefully stepped deeper into the room with the unidentified Decepticon.  Various objects were thrown carelessly about the room, the robotic drones were torn apart so much so they were barely recognizable, and even the bolted down examination bed had been ripped up and tossed through the window to the ICU chamber.  

Optimus scanned the room for any sign of life, and found none.  His optics went wide at this unexpected conclusion.  _What about Suzuki? He thought suddenly.  She was supposed to be recovering in the room where he now stood, so where was she?  He ordered his underlings to search the area and report anything suspicious, as well as to search for the missing femme. _

~~~

            Ultra Magnus' feet led him to a darker corner of the section where he thought his scanners detected something.  As he drew closer he noticed a strange sensation in the pit of his spark; something wasn't right.  No sooner had that thought entered his mind did a pair of blinding lights shine in his optics and an engine roared to life.  The Autobot stumbled back a few steps before recovering from the surprise, and opened fire on the strange vehicle.  

Tires screeched in his audio receptors and the smell of burning rubber mixed with gun smoke filled his sensors as he continued to pour on the assault.  The Decepticon tried to retreat further back into the corner but found this impossible for the wall stood strong and bullets became imbedded deep within their frame.  

Magnus' gun soon clicked empty and finally ceased its onslaught, giving the enemy a few moments to recover.  The rouge Autobot stood still and allowed a slight victory smile to cross his lips as he awaited the clearing of the dust to clear.  The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion: an engine roared to life as a pair of headlights temporarily blinded Ultra Magnus, the Decepticon raced past him with only a few moments to spare before his gun began unloading itself on them again.  

"Heads up!" Magnus hollered, giving chase to the enemy while sending a warning to his fellow Autobots.  For a mech of his size, he was incredibly fast on his feet, able to keep up with the retreating Decepticon.  This was not too awful difficult since the transformer seemed damaged as it kept skidding out of control and colliding with objects flung about the room.  

"Exhaust Backfire!" Sideburn cried, firing his weapon at the enemy. 

"Combustion Missiles!"

"Bronco Blast!"  

The other two Autobot brothers joined in the fun, firing their attacks on the intruder, catching the latter off guard and sending them crashing through a nearby wall.  

"Surrender Decepticon. You're outnumbered and we have the home-field advantage," the youngest Autobot brother snarled, aiming his gun at the fallen enemy.  

A guttural growl came as a response, followed by the familiar sounds of a transformation.  Sideburn managed a few well placed shots before he was knocked to the ground by the enemy then pined by their heavy frame.  He heard an almost animalistic snarl before pain ripped through his front torso.  Metal was literally torn from his body and flung across the room, followed by pieces of circuitry and wires.  Warnings sounded frantically in the young Autobot's audio receptors as his body tried to monitor and repair the damage, only to have another area in even more critical condition than the first.  

His pained and terrified screams filled the air as the Decepticon tried to tear him to pieces.  The worried cries of his brother and the satisfied snicker of the Decepticon were the last thing he heard before going off line. 

"You'll pay for that!" Prowl shouted, firing furiously at his brother's attacker.  He succeeded in prying the Decepticon off his sibling before it transformed back to vehicle mode and raced down the hall.  

"Prime! Sideburn needs medical attention, pronto!" Prowl's panicked voice shouted.  

_*Optimus!*_ Tai's voice erupted from Prime's comlink.  _*I'm not sure how but the Decepticon just entered the Global SpaceBridge!*_

Just then Wedge's head peered around the corner, followed closely by his three other comrades.  They had heard the urgent report about a Decepticon in the medical bay and came to kick some tailpipe, only to find the area nearly destroyed and no sign of the enemy.  

"Tai, I want you to lock onto that Decepticon's signal and bring up a visual," Optimus ordered sharply, bolting for the door.  "Wedge, you stay here and look after Sideburn," he added over his shoulder.  

_*Yes, sir*_ came the hologram's short reply.  

Wedge was about to argue when his optics fell upon the severely damaged form of the youngest Autobot brother lying lifeless on the ground, a large puddle of energon growing steadily under him.  The young leader immediately ordered his comrades to find anything salvageable in the disaster area that was their medical bay while he attempted to repair the massive injuries.  He never knew those few classes of medical training would actually be put to the test in a situation such as this, but no one knows when their skills will be called upon, no matter what they may be.  

"How is that possible?" Prowl questioned aloud, following his leader.  "Only Autobots have access to the spacebridge. How did this Decepticon know how to activate it?"

"Not sure," X-Brawn answered.  "But I say we kick us some Decepticon tailpipe and ask questions later!"  The two brothers chased their leader and his brother into the main room where Teletran-1 stood.  

The group of Autobots soon found themselves waiting impatiently for Tai to bring up a visual of the strange Decepticon.  Typing furiously on the many keys of Teletran-1, Tai tried desperately to locate the enemy in the spacebridge.  

"Almost there," she muttered, fingers flying across the keyboard.  "Just a few more seconds and—NO!"  Tai's eyes went wide and her hands crashed angrily on the console.  "They just exited the spacebridge. I can't locate them now!"  

The hologram silently berated herself for being too slow.  If only she'd been just a little faster, a little more efficient and the Autobots would have the information they requested.  But instead they were completely in the dark about the mysterious Decepticon who had somehow managed to enter their base without being detected until it was too late.  

"It's all right, Tai," Prime's soothing voice interrupted.  "You did your best and that's all we can ask for. Besides, if it weren't for you we never would have know there was a Decepticon in the base. We owe you for that."  

Tai nodded, a smile crossing her young face.  She could always count on Prime for an encouraging word or a pat on the back.  He was a remarkable leader in her eyes, and always would be.  

"I did manage to get a shot of the Decepticon. It's a bit blurry but it might be enough to help," she suggested, turning back to the control panel.  With a wave of her hand across the keypad, a very blurry picture of the intruder appeared on the screen.  

Optimus squinted his optics to try and clear the smeared imagine.  Something seemed familiar about that vehicle, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  The dark green smears caused too much of a smudge for him to distinguish any details, except the fact that the vehicle was small.  It appeared to have only two wheels, not anything like the military vehicle he'd expected to see…almost like a motorcycle.  His optics grew wide.  It couldn't be! 

"Primus," he whispered, optics fixed on the blurry image displayed on the large screen.  

"It couldn't be. There's no way. That can't be right," X-Brawn said, shaking his head in denial, but kept his wide optics locked on the picture.  

"Suzuki…," Prowl whispered softly, his mind denying the fact but his spark knew it was true.  

******

Suzuki leaned heavily against a tall oak tree for support, gasping for breath that refused to flood her robotic lungs.  Pain screamed through her body from the various injuries inflicted upon her by the Autobots.  She gripped her right arm as the constant throbbing became more intense, threatening to overtake her entire arm.  Energon seemed to leak from every pore, but in some spots it flowed freely, forming a pool of the life-giving fluid by her feet.  

The femme reluctantly pushed herself away from the tree to continue her trek through the forest; her navigational systems being damaged she knew not where she was headed.  She stumbled into numerous bushes and trees in her wandering, further injuring her wounds.  The once small trickle of energon leaking from her body soon became a steady stream, leaving a bright green trail of the liquid.  

Pausing for a moment to catch her breath, she swallowed large gulps of air eagerly as more pain coursed throughout her battered frame.   

_"_Dame those Autobots," she growled, clutching her right bicep.  "They will pay dearly for this."  Fatigue and the dramatic loss of energon finally caught up with her as she slid down to the earthy floor.  With her back against a sturdy maple, the female transformer reluctantly allowed her system to recharge, totally unaware that the animals of the forest had become deadly silent. 

~~~

Scourge stepped out from behind his cover, a smile wavering across his masked face.  Excitement mixed with pleasure as he gazed down at the recharging form of Suzuki.  This one mech was going to aid him in his quest to become the most powerful force in the universe; yet she seemed so weak and fragile.  

The black Decepticon knelt down and easily scooped her up, cradling her in his powerful arms.  He felt his hands become slick with energon as he retreated deeper into the forest.  A hint of respect for the femme entered his mind as he recalled how long she had to walk with her injuries; he knew because he had followed her the entire way.  Scourge allowed himself a brief smile of satisfaction grace his lips before he disappeared into the Predacon base, very proud of his catch.  

~~~

            "Have you lost your mind?" Skybyte hollered, alarmed beyond belief to see Scourge enter Gigatron's throne room bearing the newest Autobot in his arms. 

            Scourge merely cast him a piercing glare as he continued towards his master.  The Decepticon bowed low before his master, still managing to support the femme's dead weight in his strong arms.

            "What is the meaning of this, Scourge?" Gigatron growled, staring down hard at his underling and the bot cradled against his chest.  

            "I have reason to believe this Autobot is no longer such," Scourge began, choosing his words carefully.  "She has seemed different than the other Autobots and has now left them. I have reason to believe she is now a Decepticon.  Her symbol is enough to tell us that."  The black Decepticon positioned the femme's arm to display her now totally converted symbol.  

            "We still can't trust her. Her programming is-" Skybyte began but was silenced by his rival.

            "Now totally that of a Decepticon. If you would allow her to be repaired, I will monitor her personally and prove my theory to be correct," Scourge interrupted quickly.  "I give you my word."

            "Let's just hope that's good enough, Scourge. Because if it's not…." Gigatron let the threat hang in the air.  Then, with a wave of his hand, dismissed both underlings.

            Scourge bowed once more before leaving, partly in a manner of respect but mostly to hide the hatred shinning in his ruby optics.  _Just wait you pompous windbag. Soon I'll make you regret the day you crossed paths with me.  _

******

            Pain. Indescribable pain. Muffled voices. Silence. Blinding lights.  Suzuki's memory chip recalled the fragments of salvageable data easily accessible.  The femme turned her head from the hot white lights secured in the ceiling that glared down upon her face.  Blurry images swam across her vision as her optics struggled to come into focus.  After a few moments, she was able to distinguish everything in the room from its neighbor; even the large black mech sitting beside her bed didn't appear so distorted.  

            The femme did a double take upon gazing at the Decepticon resting by her bedside.  _What's he doing here?_ she asked herself, staring down at Scourge's peaceful countenance.  A gentle smile crossed her lips when a soft snore escaped the mech's slightly open mouth.  Shifting her weight to a more comfortable position, Suzuki eased back into recharge mode, that smile still decorating her face.


	22. Tensions Rising

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 22- Tensions Rising

_~_

_Tension is building inside _

_Steadily_

_Everyone feels so far away from me_

_Heavy thoughts forcing their way_

_Out of me_

_Lyrics: From the Inside_Linkin Park_

_~_

            *I do NOT own Transformers: RID. {Drat!!}

******                                                                          

            The mood was unusually quiet and dreary in the once cheerful Autobot headquarters.  The Build Team worked silently yet diligently to repair the mangled medical bay, while the Autobot brothers engaged themselves in the task of keeping their youngest sibling online.  

            "Come on Sideburn, stay awake," Prowl urged, gently shaking his brother's shoulders.  

            The energon depleted mech's optics flickered to life once more, trying desperately to focus on at least one of the many swimming figures in his line vision.  He smiled meekly when his two siblings appeared clearly before him, both with worry shining in their optics. 

            "Hey bros," he managed in a raspy tone.  

            "Now don't try an' talk. Wedge an' the others are almos' done fixin' the med bay. Then you'll be able to chase them little red sports car ya like so much," X-Brawn said, trying to ease his own fears as well as his brother's.  

            "All right guys. We're finished," Wedge's voice interrupted the silence that had befallen amongst the brothers.  

            The two brothers, as carefully as possible, carried Sideburn to the remodeled medical facility and settled themselves in for the long wait as Wedge prepared for the detailed repair job ahead of him.        

~~~

Optimus Prime paced the corridor oblivious to the other Autobots occupying the same room.  His thoughts were so filled with questions and concerns for his underlings that he nearly missed stepping on his human friend Koji, who was only able to escape this fate by jumping to safety.  

"Hey Optimus, what's the deal?" Koji asked, his voice holding a slight hint of irritation.  

Prime glanced the human's way as noticing him for the first time.  "Sorry Koji. I'm a bit distracted at the moment."

"I can see that. What's up?"

The Autobot leader let out a heavy sigh and locked optics with a trusty comrade.  "Rail Spike, would you please fill Koji in on the situation. I have too much work right now that needs my attention."

"Sure thing Optimus," the bullet train agreed, noting the tired expression in his leader's optics.  "This way Koji, I'll explain everything."

Optimus watched gratefully as the two exited the chamber, leaving him alone with his work once more.  Even Tai zipping around trying to find some trace of Suzuki didn't make his spirits higher.  How could an Autobot be so badly damaged while in the "safety" of headquarters?  Sideburn's diagnostic was grim but at least he would recover in time.  

"Optimus," Tai's ever-alert voice broke through his thoughts.  "You probably won't want to hear this, but the Decepticons are attacking an oil refining plant in sector Alpha-Minor."

The fire truck nodded his head.  "Assemble the Spy Changers. Tell them I'll meet them there."  With that said, Optimus transformed and rolled into the spacebridge.  

******

            "Then it's all set. You'll raid that oil plant and steal the necessary energy," Gigatron concluded.  The plan seemed perfect and foolproof.  Not even the bumbling Predacons could screw up a mission as simple as this.  But, he would not entrust this scheme to those imbeciles, no, this belonged to the Decepticons, his most loyal followers.  

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching took his attention from dismissing his underlings to the doorway leading to the room.  

"I wish to join them, sire," Suzuki asked, her voice as cold as ice.  She approached the throne, pushed past the other Decepticons, then kneeled before her lord and master.  "Please allow me the honor of joining the attack."  

"That is absurd!" MegaOctane exclaimed.  "You'll only slow us down plus you're not at full working order."  

Suzuki rose from the ground and turned to face him.  "Would you like to bet on that?" she asked, a smirk spreading across her lips.  "Even if I'm not fully recovered, I can still whip you."  She watched with much amusement as MegaOctane's optics flashed and he took a large step in her direction.  

"Why you—"

"That's enough!" Gigatron's voice boomed, silencing any further remarks and ending the bickering.  "Suzuki will remain here."  

The femme clenched her fists in anger and wished to argue, but knew it was futile.  So instead, she bowed in acknowledgement and left the chamber.  

Scourge watched Suzuki retreat and couldn't help but allow himself a small victory grin.  Everything was going according to plan: MegaOctane's outburst was executed perfectly, Gigatron's reaction was extremely predictable, and Suzuki managed to restrain her growing temper, which was becoming no easy task.  

"I will not fail you, master," the Decepticon leader announced, kneeling before his lord once more.  

~~~

            Skybyte's optics narrowed as he watched his arch rivals speed away to the oil refinery.  Something was up, he could feel it in the air, but he could not for the life of him place exactly what it was.  It was then that he noticed Suzuki storm through the corridor, not even bothering to acknowledge the Predacon.  She merely continued on her way, grumbling something inaudible with clenched fists.  

            She reminded him so much of Scourge it was scary.  The vicious temper, the attitude, the underlying sense of treachery; it was as if they were exact replicas of each other.  Skybyte shuddered at the thought, hoping he was wrong in his assumption.  

******

Armorhide and Rollbar secured the pump to the second oil tank then opened the hatch, sending the oil straight into the reservoir attached to MegaOctane.  The two Decepticons were detaching the hose and preparing to empty another tank when an incoming message from RoTor blasted from their comlinks. 

            "Autobots at 3:00!" followed by the sound of gunfire overhead.  

"All right Decepticons. We got what we came for now head back to base," Scourge ordered, using his sword to deflect Prowl's combustion missiles.  

"Not so fast Decepticreep!" HotShot hollered, aiming his gun at MegaOctane's tires.  "Give back that energy!"  

Armorhide saw the attack coming and jumped in front of his comrade, deflecting the blow thanks to his namesake, the thick armor covering him from head to toe.  He bombarded the Spy Changer leader with an attack of his own, giving MegaOctane enough time to escape any stray fire.  

~~~

"Drat. They got away with the energy," Wars fumed, glaring after the retreating forms of the Decepticons.  He kicked the ground in anger.  

"Now settle down. We did save the majority of the oil and we chased away the Decepticons, so I'd say our mission was partly successful," Ironhide replied calmly, trying to look at the bright side of the situation.  

_*Optimus! The Predacons are attacking a dam in sector Beta-C!*_ Tai's panicked voice erupted from Prime's comlink. 

_*We're on our way,*_ he answered.  "Let's roll!"

******

"Well, I'm going back on patrol. Care to join me?" Prowl asked, glancing towards his calm brother.  After receiving a much needed tone-up from Tai, he felt ready to pursue and apprehend some law-breaking criminals.  

"Nah. I hear the sound of a mountain trail callin' my name," X-Brawn replied, grinning under his mask.  "But don't worry, I'll go back to work once I've finished takin' it easy. You try it too sometime. All work an' no play is makin' you dull."  

Prowl resented being referred to as dull.  Sure he was almost always on duty patrolling the city but that's what police cars do!  They protect the people and keep the bad guys off the streets.  He just wished his brothers or at least someone shared this belief.  

The middle Autobot brother said his farewell to his sibling and returned to his duty, glad to be getting back to work.  

"Maybe I am dull," Prowl said aloud.  "But I'm a police car and there's never time to relax when criminals are on the street. Someone needs to be protecting the humans. But…maybe I should relax once in a while, just for a few minutes. It couldn't hurt."  

Well, that was that.  Prowl immediately began thinking of fun things to do once his shift was completed.  A nice hot oil bath, or maybe a visit to a quiet forest with a stream, or a relaxing recharge in his room, or even joining his brother for a joy ride, as long as the speed limit was obeyed of course.  

            A faint pounding soon reached his audio receptors, steadily gaining decibels with each passing moment.  The source of the noise was soon spotted near the horizon traveling at a very reckless velocity on the busy city highway.  Loud music blared from the motorcycle's speakers while an unseen voice sang along with the artist.  With a flash of green paint and the music blaring, the motorcycle had whizzed by and left humans to stare in wonder at the unmanned vehicle.  

            Prowl's brake lights flashed to life, followed quickly by the sound of screeching tires.  The rubber on his wheels left their mark on the pavement as he did a 180 and began his pursuit of the speeding motorcycle.  Switching on his police lights and sirens, the Autobot was able to close in on his target thanks to the humans pulling off the road to let him pass.  Being an officer of the law sure had its perks when pursuing criminals.  

            "Pull over! You are in direct violation of code 22350!" Prowl shouted over the so-called music.  

            "I think not Autobot. I'm having too much fun," Suzuki replied, cranking up the decibels and pulling back on the hand grip that acted as her gas pedal.  

            The two raced around the outer part of the city before turning off onto the dirt roads leading into the forest.  Dust flew out from behind the vehicle's tires as they sped through the trees, not bothering to slow when turning sharp curves or swerving to avoid other cars.  Prowl, ignoring his better judgment, waited until Suzuki pulled off into a clear meadow before radioing for assistance.  

            The femme sighed in irritation upon seeing the police car still on her tail even after cutting through the thick forest.  So, she gave him a break and turned towards a grassy area where they could do battle.  

            "Suzuki transform!"

            "Prowl transform!"

"Eat laser Autobot!" Suzuki's voice erupted, followed closely by the sound of bullets striking metal.  She laughed maliciously as Prowl tried to fire back from behind the cover of a very large boulder.  

"I only wish to talk!" he yelled, clutching his weapon tightly.  "But if I must apprehend you first then so be it!"  

*Just so you all know, I will be starting college very soon and fanfics will come second to school work. Sorry about the delay between updates, but I'll try to wrap this up so you all don't have to wait long. Thanks J*


	23. Trust, Honor and Friendship

Hostile Territory

Written by: Okami

Chapter 23- Trust, Honor and Friendship

_~_

_You are missing in my heart_

_Tell me why I can't be there where you are_

_Show me the meaning of being lonely_

_Is this the feeling I need to walk with_

_Tell me why I can't be there where you are _

_There's something missing in my heart_

_Lyrics: Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely_Backstreet Boys_

_~_

            *I do NOT own Transformers: RID. {Drat!!}

******

            "Well done, Scourge. You have managed to prove me wrong, for once," Gigatron praised, looking over his Decepticon underlings.  "By using the stolen energy wisely I should be able to defeat Optimus Prime with no problem."  

"I am greatly honored that you approve, my lord," Scourge replied, lowering his head.  _Just a little bit longer, then I can get rid of this façade and do away with his pile of scrap!_  A smile crossed his lips as he thought of ways to purge himself of his power-hungry and idiotic master.  

"There's just one problem," Gigatron continued.  "I thought I ordered that femme you were monitoring to remain at base."  

"Yes sir you did," the Decepticon replied, unsure where his leader was going with this conversation.  

"Then why is it that she is off joyriding through the city?!"  

Scourge's optics flew to his leaders face.  

"I don't want to hear excuses! Just bring her back!"

"As you wish," Scourge replied, gritting his mouth component to refrain from losing his barely leashed temper.  

******

"Total Missile Shower!" Suzuki shouted, stretching her arms out to the side.  Two hidden compartments on each arm and leg opened to reveal a warehouse of missiles all aimed at the enemy.  

Prowl crouched low the ground and used his shield to protect his face as the ground around him exploded from the arsenal of fire.  Countering with his own attack, the Autobot dislodged one of his opponents laser rifles before she could concentrate their power into one stream of energy.  

"Combustion Missiles!" he yelled, targeting a non-vital part of Suzuki's framework.  His aim was just slightly off and the missiles missed their target by a few millimeters.  

"You should really work on that aim of yours," Suzuki cooed, charging him full speed.  Landing a perfect uppercut to his jaw component, the femme smiled gleefully as she watched his body fly a few feet back.  She strolled over to where her enemy lay, slowly extending her talons of steel from her delicate fingers.  It was almost disappointing to see an adversary fall so easily, but then again, they weren't nearly as powerful as herself.  

"Don't worry, Prowl. This won't hurt a bit," she purred, seating herself gently on his abdomen.  "I won't feel a thing."  With that said the female pointed her talons at the Autobot's beating spark and drove them forward.  

"WAIT!" Prowl yelped, optics as wide as they could go.  

Suzuki's purple optics turned to his, irritation and curiosity clearly shinning within.  "Are you going to beg for your life?" she asked, amusement in her voice.  

"No. You just forgot to ask if I had any last words," he replied, praying his plan would work.  Because if not…then he would never see his dear brothers again, or patrol the streets of the Earth, or have that vacation everyone said he should take.  

Suzuki paused for a moment as she contemplated his request.  "Very well," she consented.  "But make it quick. I don't have all day."  

Prowl heaved a heavy mental sigh.  He would have liked to have gotten to his feet right now but with the weight of the femme seated on his midsection that seemed highly unlikely.  

_Okay, okay. Stay calm and remember your training._  

"10-56 is a person down." 

Suzuki cocked her head to the side.  "What?"

"10-56 in the police officers manual means a person is down. Am I right?" Prowl asked, knowing full well he was wrong.  If his plan worked, she would have to answer correctly.  

"No," she began a bit hesitantly.  "10-53means a person is down. 10-56means a suicide."  Suzuki observed her captive a bit more closely.  Something didn't feel right to her.  If Prowl is a cop then he should know all the police codes by heart and not screw up one so basic, right?

The Autobot turned his head and looked at her out of the corner of his optic.  "Are you sure? I thought 10-57 was a suicide and a 10-53 meant a firearm was discharged."

"You must have a few bolts loose or something because you're getting these all screwed up. Look, 10-53 means a person is down, 10-56 means a suicide, and 10-57 means a firearm was discharged," the femme replied, getting more than a little annoyed with this moron of a policeman.  

Prowl noticed her defenses steadily weakening with every correction.  _Good! She's loosing focus. Just a little bit more and…now!_  Once Suzuki lowered her hand away from his chestplate, the Autobot lifted his legs over her head and locked them around her torso, pushing her away from his front and towards the ground.  

"Why you!" she shouted, digging her claws into the sides of his thighs.  Struggle and claw as she might, the Autobot was not relenting for he kept her pinned to the grassy earth.  

~~~

            Skybyte watched with keen interest as the two robots battled it out right in front of him.  Well, he was safely hidden behind the surrounding trees and brush so they weren't able to see him, but he could see them and every move they made perfectly.  His jaw nearly unhinged when Suzuki let loose her total missile shower, turning a large boulder into mere peddles right before his very optics.  

"Eek!" he yelped, protecting his cranium from falling rocks.  What proceeded was a dramatic light show of missiles, lasers and bullets firing from both sides, neither willing to give in.  The ground itself seemed to shake from their heavy feet, disturbing the once peaceful forest and sending it into a panic.  But that didn't bother ol' Skybyte, not a bit, for his attention was plastered to the Decepticon, who had just uppercutted her Autobot opponent.  

"This should be interesting," he said aloud, leaning forward.  It was like watching the climax of a movie where the bad guy might just actually win.  Everything seemed to still as Suzuki's razor sharp talons drove towards the Autobot's chestplate, aiming to crush his beating spark.  Skybyte himself ceased to breath, so totally caught up in the moment that when Prowl yelped he fell back, startled by the sudden sound.  

The hidden Predacon listened intently to their resulting conversation, confused at what the Autobot was up to until he swung his legs over his head.  Suzuki, being trapped beneath her enemy's legs, was left with only one choice: use her claws.  Skybyte winced when the sound of metal upon metal echoed in his audio receptors, also sending a chill through his frame.  

For at least fifteen minutes or so the two struggled to gain the upper hand, but it seemed they were in a stalemate.  

"Shall we call it a draw?" Suzuki asked, letting her arms fall to the ground in exhaustion.  

Skybyte's optics widened.  He couldn't have just heard that, could he?

"On one condition," Prowl panted, pushing the pain in his legs to the back of his mind.  "You don't try anything sneaky."  

"I give you my word."  

Prowl released his hold on the femme and rolled onto his back, trying to regain his breath.  

CLICK.

His golden optics soon found themselves staring down the shaft of Suzuki's laser rifle.  

"Now she's got him," the Predacon grinned, leaning forward to observe the fun.  

~~~

            The middle Autobot brother gazed at the two double barrel laser rifles pointed straight between his optics.  He could feel his spark pounding against his chestplate, fearing it might just burst with fright.  

            _Never trust a Decepticon!_ his inner voice screamed at him.  What took place next surprised even him.  

            Suzuki lowered her weapon of choice and locked optics with him, before extending her hand.  It took a moment for his dulled mind to register the fact that she was offering to help him up before he grasped her hand.  

"But…I thought," he stuttered, struggling to remain on his feet.  The lacerations and puncture holes made by Suzuki's claws were now dripping energon fluid as well as sending sharp pain signals up his body.  

"I gave you my word. Nothing sneaky or underhanded," she replied, pointing her gun towards the grass but kept her finger near the trigger.  

The Autobot cast her an unsure glance.  His instincts told him to be weary of the enemy but his heart told him she could be trusted, even though she was the one who had almost taken his little brother from him.  Just remembering the incident made the energon flowing through him boil with anger.  Sideburn's pained face and anguished cries, the fluid pouring out of his weakening frame, and the sound of his body being torn apart piece by piece was almost more than the police car could stand.  

"Barrage Attack!" a harsh voice erupted from the trees, followed soon after by the whistling of missiles.  

The ground around the two exploded violently from the assault, throwing them both back and off their feet.  A tall black shadow appeared within the thick forest surrounding the meadow, his ruby optics glowing brightly.  Scourge exited the trees faster than anyone would have thought possible with his bulky build, crimson sword pulsing with energy.  

"Sword of Fury!" the black Decepticon bellowed, charging the already injured Autobot.  

Prowl tried to jump out of the way of the swinging blade but thanks to the damage inflicted on his legs, the Autobot soon found himself on the ground and vulnerable to the attack.  A pained scream escaped his clamped mouth component as the searing weapon bit down on his exposed side and back.  Even with his hands clamped across the large wound, energon continued to pour forth, dripping down towards his injured legs and the already stained earth.  

The middle Autobot brother lifted his golden optics from the gash and stared in shock at Scourge and Suzuki.  He quickly noticed the two standing rather close to be simply battle comrades.  Prowl's spark sank in his chestplate as his CPU recognized the silent exchange between the two.  In spite of the loss of fluids, he still tried to stand and face the two Decepticons.  

~~~

            Suzuki couldn't help but watch as Prowl, as damaged as he was, tried to stand and face them.  After much struggling and a few failed attempts, the Autobot somehow managed to stand on his shaky and severely injured legs.  Although he now stood before her, she knew he wouldn't last another assault.  

An emotion she thought void of her being welled up in her spark as she watched this transpire: compassion.  Suzuki could not help but feel sorry for Prowl and wish to help him.  

She shook her head.  A Decepticon does not feel pity or compassion for any one much less the enemy!  And yet….  

Scourge gripped the handle of his sword tightly, optics blazing and pinned on Prowl.  

"Prepare to die Autobot!" he roared, charging forth.  

"Stop!" Suzuki cried, dashing in front of her companion, arms outstretched.  

The black transformer skidded to a halt and glared at the femme, wondering why she had stopped him.  

"I'd like the pleasure of finishing him," she said smoothly, a mischievous smile across her lips.  Taking the few more steps toward Scourge she walked her slender fingers up his chest plate, her eyes following until they locked with his.  

"He's all yours," the Decepticon replied, smiling down in what could only be affection.  

Suzuki turned from her comrade and walked slowly towards Prowl, extending her steel talons further with every step.  Her smile changed from mischievous to seductive as she stopped a mere foot from her enemy.  The Autobot didn't seem to notice for his optics were dimmer than normal and his heavy frame seemed to shift from side to side unsteadily.  

Without a second thought, the femme rammed her fist into Prowl's gut, retracting her claws just before impact, making it appear to Scourge that she'd skewered the Autobot.  

"This is for your own good," she whispered into his audio receptors as his sensors shut down and he slipped into stasis lock.  "I'm sorry."  

Turning her back to the fallen transformer, she waited for Scourge to transform and head back to base before….

******

            The hologram of a young girl once again analyzed Sideburn in the reconstructed med bay, his tattered body still in need of repair.  Her drones worked day and night to complete the repairs, and they were doing a terrific job, if it just weren't so darn tedious!  Several main circuits had been fried, too many wires to count had been severed if not shredded, and his chest plate was now a pile of scrap.  But, even through all of these trials, the young Autobot brother should be up and running by mid-afternoon the next day, leaving him plenty time to carouse around searching for that little red sports car, thanks to the technical genius named Tai.  

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. 

Tai materialized before the main console of Teletran 1.  Her brow furrowed in confusion as an unidentified source tried to contact Autobot Headquarters.  

"What's that beeping noise?" RapidRun asked, entering the large chamber, flanked by the other two members of the bullet train team.  

"I'm picking up a strange broadcast," Tai answered, activating a view screen.  The process allowed for an open channel but the monitor displayed nothing but static, unable to reveal the callers identification.  

"Code 10-53 {static}. I repeat,{static} 10-53," a feminine voice spoke.

"Must be a police frequency," RailSpike concluded.  He recognized the code as one Prowl would recite along with all the others in the police manual.  

"Police man down. {static} Sector Delta-Alpha, sub-sector C," the voice continued.  

"Then again. Maybe not," RapidRun added, noting that only Autobots and Decepticons graphed sectors like that.  

Tai ran a quick scan of that area but found no responding Autobot.  Thinking it must be a trick, she lifted her finger to disconnect the channel when the message suddenly became quite convincing.  

"10-53. Need immediate medical {static) and repairs. {static} Damage critical."  

RailSpike, RapidRun and Midnight Express cast one another quick glances.  

"That's enough for me," RapidRun said, heading for the spacebridge.  

"Right behind ya," RailSpike replied, transforming and beginning his entrance into the warp tunnel. 

"Hey guys! Wait for me!" Midnight Express cried, quickly transforming and racing to catch up to his teammates.  


End file.
